


Like Grains of Sand in the Hourglass

by TemporalKnight



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Hogwarts Fifth Year, Time Travel, Tonks Impersonating A Hogwarts Student
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:40:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 108,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22748728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TemporalKnight/pseuds/TemporalKnight
Summary: During the Battle in the Department of Mysteries Nymphadora Tonks finds herself thrown back to the beginning of Fifth Year. With two Tonks walking around and her faith in Dumbledore eroded what's a Metamorphmagus to do? Protect Harry Potter at all costs, that's what! Tonks ends up crafting a new identity for herself and infiltrates Hogwarts to fix the future. Pairing: Harry/Tonks. Cross-posted from FanFiction.net.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Nymphadora Tonks
Comments: 19
Kudos: 240
Collections: Carefully Constructed Chronicles





	1. Meet Theodora Nymean Kirk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Same as with Rune Stone Path, I am reposting this fic to my AO3 account now. Little should change between the one on Fanfiction.net and here though this one might have some misspellings corrected.
> 
> \/\/\/\/
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Harry Potter. If I did I would be a far richer man. And I'd be a woman. I also don't own Star Trek.
> 
> Reviews are appreciated but certainly not required.
> 
> AN: This is an idea I've been kicking around for a while now. I'm taking the basic cliché of Harry (or Ginny or Hermione or Ron) being tossed back in time and flipping it to someone who I've never seen before. What would happen if it was Tonks? What would a Metamorphmagus stuck in the past with partial knowledge of a rotten-future-to-come do? This no longer Harry's story. This is Tonks' story. Most of it is going to be told through her perspective. Assume a mostly canon setting prior to the start of this chapter.
> 
> Some warnings before we start: It will be solely Harry/Tonks (for followers of my other stories, this one is going to be a monogamous pairing). It will not be Hermione/Ron. I don't know what I'm doing with Ron yet to be honest. The goal is to make him mature a bit and become a decent guy. On a similar note, I'm unsure of Dumbledore's part. He'll probably end up being well meaning, but flawed. I don't intend to take him in the direction of the 'Rune Stone Path' version.
> 
> (See the end of the work for more notes.)

**Chapter 1: Meet Theodora Nymean Kirk**

The battle was already raging by the time Tonks and the others made it into the Department of Mysteries. She didn't have much information going into that maelstrom. The only thing she knew for certain was that her friend/third-or-fourth cousin Harry thought her first cousin Sirius was being held and tortured by Death Eaters. Of course the rescue group had been told _why_ Harry had run to the Ministry, but not _where_ he had run _to_. How they were supposed to rescue him without being told where they were supposed to go apparently didn't concern Snape overly much when he had informed them of Harry's concerns a few minutes prior. She assumed that Harry had been lured into the Hall of Prophecies. That she could even _guess_ that much was thanks in large part to a conversation she'd overheard between Snape and Dumbledore near Christmas. How the Order had been expected to guard something when they didn't even know what they were guarding…

_Rule Number 1: Always make certain that personnel involved in an active investigation and/or protection detail have all relevant details. Lack of detail leads to injury and death._

Damn Dumbledore! That man and his love of secrets, it was going to get at least one teenager killed someday! He'd refused to let even the members of the Order of the Phoenix in on what was actually going on – let alone the young man at the center of the entire fiasco. All Harry had asked was to be let into the loop; it wasn't that big of a thing. If the Aurors were placed on protection detail they always made sure that their subject knew who and what they were being protected from.

_Rule Number 2: A victim is always more likely to comply with Auror recommendations if they are aware of the scale of danger inherent in their situation._

She'd seen Harry a few times in the past few months and the kid looked straight up awful. Between the stress of Umbridge, the O.W.L.s and whatever Voldemort was doing, Tonks was amazed he'd managed to keep it together for so long. Now with him apparently having a vision of Sirius being tortured…she couldn't blame Harry for running off half-cocked. Minerva was still down thanks to Tonks' less than stellar compatriots, Snape was just as useful as always – ranging from utterly useless to deliberately obstructive – Dumbledore was still hiding out at Grimmauld…Harry had had no one to turn to for help exactly when he had needed it most.

She should have been there for him. She wasn't that much older than him and she was an Auror. She was supposed to be there to help anyone who needed it. They hadn't had many interactions, but from the few they'd had he'd seemed perfectly sweet, if admittedly somewhat depressed. What made it all worse was that she still dimly remembered holding a baby Harry in her arms when she seven years old. He had burbled happily whenever she morphed her hair color. Harry was actually the reason she loved pink so much…he had always seemed to like it the most.

Now she was running to rescue the teenage version of her no-longer-tiny friend with Sirius, Remus, Mad-Eye and Kingsley…but she knew in her heart that it was already too late. She knew she was going to race through one of these rooms and find a dead body with a lightning shaped scar on his forehead. It had already been hours since he'd run from Hogwarts; Merlin only knew how long he'd been here fighting by himself.

He'd obviously been making the bastards work for it though judging by the destruction Tonks was running through. Three rooms and three scenes of devastation greeted her. The Hall of Prophecies had more broken spheres than intact ones. The Space room had three planet replicas shattered on the floor. The Arithmancy room had glowing numbers embedded into the middle of walls. The Thought room had Ron Weasley tangled up in brain tentacles gibbering nonsensically.

_Wait. What?_

"Shack!" Tonks yelled skidding to a stop and leveling her wand at the brain wrapped around the red-head. "I got the cognivore you get the Weasley!" She didn't even pause to make sure he followed her lead. Technically Kingsley was the Senior Auror, but they'd been partners long enough that she knew he'd do what she said. She shot off a cutting spell and smiled in satisfaction as the thought tentacles fell away from the boy and the brain dropped limply to the floor. Shack summoned Ron while Tonks banished the brain back into its aquarium.

Moody dropped to his good knee and grabbed Ron's shoulder. "Weasley, where's Potter? How many others are here?"

Ron gasped for air as the thought tentacles were unwound from his throat. "Harry ran through there," he said gesturing towards a door to the next room. "Neville and Hermione were with him. Luna and Ginny were in the planet room when we got separated." Tonks felt her stomach drop through the floor. It wasn't just Harry and Ron here. There were _six_ teenagers fighting off Merlin knew how many Death Eaters!

And there hadn't been anyone in the Space room they'd just passed. Tonks desperately prayed that Luna and Ginny were still alive and not captured. If they had been captured…if they had been captured it might actually be better if they _were_ dead as awful as that thought was.

"Ron, stay with us. It's safer and we need to find the others," Sirius said quickly as he rushed towards the door.

Tonks stopped her traitorous mind from conjuring up more disturbing images and she ran after her cousin. They burst through the door ahead and she found herself loping through the destroyed Time room. Broken pieces of Time Turners and the…sands of _whatever_ made them work were scattered everywhere. The corpse of a former Death Eater slumped against the wall as a wonderful warning of why playing with Time was a _bad_ idea. His baby head on an adult body was sure as hellfire proof of that principle. She barely had time to reaffirm her plea for divine help when they ran through another door and into sheer madness.

In front of them were nearly a dozen Death Eaters fighting against Harry, Neville and a blonde girl she assumed was Luna Lovegood. Luna danced through spell after spell without issue. Neville had blood running down his face and a broken wand yet was still knocking back Death Eaters almost every time he cast a spell. Harry was a blur of motion swatting spells out of the air and tossing back his own attacks. Tonks' attention was wrenched back to her own world as the floor fell away from her.

_Stairs. The room has stairs. Of course it does._

She tripped down three steps before regaining some measure of balance. It was a good thing that she did trip actually since she felt two different spells fly just above her back and slightly burn her skin with their passage. As she tried to straighten up and leap down the remaining steps her gaze fell on a body crumpled between Neville and Harry. The blood trail behind made it obvious the body had been carried into the room from an earlier battle. A female body with bushy brown hair and a large wet, red streak down the majority of her torso. Tonks nearly fell down the remainder of the stairs.

_Hermione's dead. We're too late. Dumbledore kept too many secrets. Snape stalled too long. I was too slow. This is all our fault. She's dead and it's all our fault._

The next few minutes of battle were a blur. She took out Dolohov before starting to duel with Bellatrix, her insane aunt. That duel didn't go particularly well for Tonks. She managed to barely evade the eviscerating curse sent her way though she hadn't quite managed to fully dodge the bludgeoning hex following behind it. She took it on the side of her head and wound up blinking up at Bellatrix from the bench. Tonks was still trying to figure out how she had gone from vertical to horizontal and focus on the center of three Evil Aunts when Sirius jumped in front of her and took over fighting the woman.

It took far too long for the chamber around her to recenter enough that she could lever herself up. That was all too clear as she had only made it to her knees when an anguished cry from Harry rent through the room. " _Sirius!_ " Tonks turned her head and was just in time to see her cousin laughing at Bellatrix while a red spell shot into his chest. He looked stunned for a brief moment before tumbling unceremoniously back through the Veil.

Tonks felt her heart stop briefly. _No. I only just got him back a year ago. What am I supposed to tell Mum?_ Harry's scream of rage brought her back to the present. The teen threw off Remus and tossed several spells at Bellatrix. Tonks' aunt responded with an amused taunt and took off running. She was out of the chamber a moment later cackling like the damned.

Harry followed right behind.

Tonks swore and finally succeeded in getting her feet under her. She started running again barely managing to keep the two in her sight as they passed through the next door. Tonks couldn't spare a thought to where the others in the rescue party were. They were likely finishing up with the other downed Death Eaters and saving…whoever was left alive.

Tonks knocked aside the next door and nearly crashed into Harry's back. He had caught up with Bellatrix.

Tonks had a firsthand view of just how much Harry's experiences this past year had affected him when he cast something she had never in a million years expected to pass his lips. " _Crucio_!" Harry screamed, his wand pointed at Bellatrix.

Tonks was too shocked to do anything other than freeze. Her aunt convulsed for only a moment before cackling again. "Aww, poor baby Potter," Bellatrix said grinning. "You need to really _mean_ it for that spell to work right. I'd love to give you a lesson, but my Master approaches so I really don't have the time. See you in Hell, Potter!" she yelled raising her wand, a black band of light jumping from the end and streaking towards Harry.

Tonks had no idea what Bellatrix had cast, but she knew it was bad. "Harry! Move!" She reacted on instinct. Jumping forward, Tonks shoved Harry hard to the side. Her movement was enough to knock him out of the way of the spell, but she caught her foot on one of the stones tripping at the last moment. That final blunder was enough to bring her directly into the path of Bellatrix's curse.

She had just enough time to see the horror on Harry's face and the triumph in her aunt's as the spell connected. Tonks flew backward and slammed into a giant grandfather clock in the corner her eyes dimly focusing on a corpse with a baby's head on the wall across from her.

_Time room. Damn. Live Harry, live. Sorry I couldn't do more._

Sand cascaded down around her and a loud roaring filled her ears. The room seemed to jump around her, broken items flying back into place on their shelves fully repaired and holes in the walls refilling themselves. The roaring increased and the movement in the room accelerated. Tonks almost felt like she was apparating with the way her body was being squeezed tighter and tighter. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't see. She could barely even think the pain had gotten so intense.

* * *

As suddenly as it started, everything stopped. The room ceased its mad dance, the sands that filled her vision vanished and the pressure on her body let up. The roar in her ears vanished with a final loud primal sound that resonated through every bone in her body.

Apparently it resonated outside her body as well as whatever she had fallen into exploded outward. Tonks was left blinking in confusion at a Time room that was mostly undamaged beyond the destroyed grandfather clock and loose grains of glittering sand covering half the room.

She breathed deep and was surprised to find that beyond feeling a bit sore, nothing struck her as horribly wrong with her body. Bella's curse should have killed her. It should have…

_Wait. Bella and Harry are gone. Everything's repaired. Time room. SHITE!_

Tonks clutched her wand and hurriedly cast a disillusionment charm on herself. She jumped up and moved to the opposite corner of the room just as the door to the chamber burst open, three hooded figures rushing in. "…massive temporal event. Nothing was scheduled today was it? Lurker isn't enough of an idiot to try and send something back during unsupervised working hours is he?"

The second hooded figure pulled up short and stared at the destroyed clock in front of them. The other two quickly froze staring as well. "Hell. We're going to get blamed for this…Start scans people. If there's been an incursion we need to lock it down and study it ASAP. We can't afford to let it escape. It'll probably be something small and…"

Tonks didn't wait around to hear anything else. She may not have been an Unspeakable, but she'd worked with a few on several ops beforehand. She knew enough to get some of their basic operating protocols down. It didn't matter to them if she'd only been knocked a few hours out of sync or a few decades. They'd cut her up either way to see if they could reproduce whatever had just happened.

Making sure her movements were silenced in addition to camouflaged, Tonks slipped out of the open door behind the Unspeakables. She carefully threaded her way back out to the exit and moved to the lifts waiting to slip inside with someone heading up. Thankfully she only had to wait a minute before one of the legal admins took a ride to the Atrium.

Rising panic threatened to overwhelm her as the lift merrily ticked away the levels. Tonks pushed it down with ruthless efficiency honed through her Auror training. She didn't know what had happened but she was going to find out and she was going to fix it. She'd find a Daily Prophet copy in the lobby and see what day it was. Then she'd drop her cover spells and thread back into her life like nothing had happened. With any luck she'd have only been tossed a day or so back. That was easy enough to deal with. A slight tip off about the coming battle and everything awful could be avoided. No mess, no fuss.

_And if I'm forward in time and it's too late to do anything? What the hell am I supposed to do then?_

Well if that was the case at least she wouldn't have to worry about running into a double of herself.

The lift finally opened onto the Atrium and Tonks moved forward slipping around the few personnel milling about in the central area. She shuffled closer to the stands with the paper near the fireplaces and nicked one while no one was looking. Leaning down to read off the date, Tonks felt her blood freeze.

_September 1_ _st_ _, 1995._

"Bugger me…"

* * *

Tonks had slipped out of the Ministry and was currently busy breathing into a paper bag she had conjured on the street corner a few blocks away.

_Rule Number 10: Always stay calm. Even with Killing Curses flying, staying calm will probably save your life._

"Okay, Tonks, you can do this. You can do this. Just stop and think. Think." Tonks scowled at herself and pushed to her feet starting to pace in front of the alley nearby. "They're still riled up and running around confused so there's still time to sneak back into the DoM. You could...try to repair the clock? Try to put the sand back into it and then...and then...bloody hell even if that _would_ work what _then_? What would be the _point_?! Why would you even _want_ to try and go back? Sirius was dead, Hermione was dead, Ron was hurt, Neville was hurt, Ginny was missing, Harry was probably about to be killed by Bellatrix…no, I'm not going to try to go back."

"Okay, so...what do I do now?"

Tonks stopped pacing and turned to stare at her reflection in a shop window. She had switched to brown hair before walking into Muggle London and she cocked her head frowning as she subtly morphed her features into a slightly younger visage. An insane idea started to take root in her mind.

"September 1st…Hogwarts Express leaves in an hour…Things started going all sorts of wrong at _some_ point this year…I could…" she paused and shuddered. "No. No, I should tell Dumbledore what happened and he'll know what to…" Tonks trailed off again and scowled before slamming her fist into the wall. "Tell Dumbledore? Tell that arse just so he can tell me he has everything under control and to not worry about it? So he can tell me to go to some other country and pretend I don't exist while the exact same sob story plays out? _Tell Dumbledore._ Like _hell_!"

She strode into the alley with her mouth set and her eyes narrowed. "Harry's the key. If I can keep him from losing it this year than I can fix all this. They don't have to die. They don't have to run to the Ministry. Besides, no one – especially not a damn _teenager_ – should have to shoulder the weight of the whole damn world. Helping Harry to have a better year is the right thing to do."

She hit the middle of the Alley and started to twist for her Apparation before freezing in place.

"Shite. I need a disguise. Can't go as myself," she murmured. "There's already a Tonks in this time period even if I make myself younger I'd be recognized…Okay, so what do I call myself?" She sighed and leaned against the wall with arms crossed. "Has to be something somewhat close to my name. I need to respond naturally when people talk to me. But…Tonks…bloody hell, there's no way I can be a metamorph with a name that even _theoretically_ shortens to Tonks. Dora. Gotta go with Dora. Doreen? No. Dorothy? No. Theodora?" She perked up smiling. "Actually, that works. It sorta honors Dad and I can still shorten it without looking obviously like myself. Okay, do I keep Nymphadora anywhere?" Tonks scowled. She hated that name so much, but if she was going to change things then Nymphadora Tonks was going to continue to live her life blissfully unaware that she had a time lost doppelganger around.

Tonks would never be able to walk back into her old life again. She'd never be able to complain about her name or hug her mother or father or – "Stop. Stop thinking, Tonks. Stop thinking. You can break down later when you're not on a deadline." _And now I'm talking to myself. Perfect._ She sighed and shook her head. "Okay, keep Nym at least for something to honor Mum. No way can I use Nimue; way too obvious. Too bad, that would have been a fun moniker. What about…Nym, Nym, Nym…Nymean? Sorta like the Nemean Lion, but spelled differently? Keeps the weird naming thing Mum had going while still giving it my own flare. Okay, that works. Theodora Nymean. Weird last name. Need something else as a last name so I don't stand out too much. Uh…" Tonks trailed off as a smile split her face. "To boldly go where no witch has gone before. Theodora Nymean Kirk."

Nodding happily, Dora pulled out a mirror from her pocket and quickly enlarged it then pushed it against the alley wall with a sticking charm. "Now, the looks. Think, 'teenager'. Hmm, let's go black hair for now. Can change that later. Height, five foot…six? Sure, that works; not too tall, not too short. Breasts…um, 32C. That was my natural back then anyway I think…maybe…whatever, it works. Muscles, keep them the same. I could've worked out in the past. I'll be making Harry work out anyway. Face…little bit more cheek…little bit less chin…there, perfect. Eyes, blue. Okay, I think…yeah that looks convincing enough." Dora took one final critical look at the mirror before nodding in satisfaction. She looked like a fifteen year old again and not like a fifteen year old Nymphadora Tonks.

"Now, I just need to pick up my school supplies and run to…shite!" Dora scowled again. She didn't have a book list and there wasn't exactly time to nick one. Plus she wasn't going to be on the registrar for this year. Maybe…maybe that would be a good thing. "Mad-Eye's Rule 25: If you can't get it right, fake it til you make it. A simple trunk with standard potions and astronomy gear plus a new wand. I can bluff my way past McG with that and she'll get me into the classes and ordering the right books before the meal is over!"

Dora smiled into the mirror and apparated away.

* * *

Gulping audibly, Dora lugged her trunk onto the train. She'd gotten lucky and just barely made it on before the Express left the station. It had been too close – in more ways than one. She'd spotted her younger self milling around the platform with Molly and 'Snuffles' keeping a lookout for any shifty individuals. If Dora had needed any more confirmation on just how utterly screwed she was that was it right there. Tonks hadn't ceased to exist as soon as Dora popped in like a small part of her had hoped. Nope, there were now two of...No, there _weren't_ two Nymphadora Tonks. There was one Nymphadora Tonks and one Theodora Nymean Kirk.

 _I can do this_ , Dora thought shuddering slightly. Merlin, this was going to be hard.

Shaking her head to clear the frightened thoughts, Dora shuffled down the train passage looking for Harry. She had to ingratiate herself quickly. He was a suspicious kid. He had every right to be, but it was going to work against her if she wasn't careful. From what she remembered him saying during Christmas he'd made friends with Luna on the train so she had a chance of getting into his group at the same time as the young blonde as long as she didn't push too hard.

Finally coming up to a compartment near the back, Dora looked in and saw Harry sitting with Ginny, Neville and Luna. Taking a final steadying breath, Dora set her features into the frustrated/eager expression she'd previously settled on and pushed the door open. "Wo-Hi, do you mind if I sit here?" Dora asked, silently cursing herself for almost using her normal 'wotcher' greeting. Rookie mistake. "I got here pretty late and there's like no spots left. I mean there are a few, but I tried to sit with this blond guy in green robes who looked about my age – but used way too much hair gel – and he started looking at me like a piece of meat. It got creepy so I figured I'd find somewhere else." Dora noticed Harry's lips curl into a frown and just barely avoided pumping her arms into the air. _Mentioning Malfoy was definitely the right way to go_ , she congratulated herself.

"Sure," Harry said moving over enough for Dora to sidle in. "That sounds like Draco Malfoy. He's a git, don't mind him. I'm Harry; feel free to stay with us. I don't remember seeing you around."

"You wouldn't," Dora said nodding as she hefted her trunk into the overhead compartment and plopped down next to Harry. Reaching over she held out her hand. "I'm Theodora Nymean Kirk. Transferred in from the Wiltshire Coven. I think I pissed off the Matron too many times so she decided to send me to an actual school."

Harry frowned, but took her hand. "They're allowed to do that?"

"What the sending me away part or the homeschooling part?" Dora asked innocently.

"Er, both?" Harry asked.

Dora shrugged, but Neville beat her to answering the question. "They can, Harry. Covens are covered under different laws than most of us. The Ministry basically treats them like sovereign countries allowing them to do whatever they want for the most part as long as they stick with the major rules like the Statute of Secrecy and stuff."

"What he said," Dora agreed. "Hi, I'm Dora." She leaned across the way and shook Neville's hand.

He smiled and hesitantly replied, "I'm Neville Longbottom. Nice to meet you."

"And I'm Ginny Weasley. I hope you like Hogwarts," Ginny said smiling over and shaking her hand as well.

"Hello," the small blonde in the corner said lowering her magazine. "I'm Luna Lovegood. And you really shouldn't be here. I think. Are there two of you? Most people only have one. I would love to interview you for my daddy's magazine."

Dora could only blink at the younger girl in terror. Thankfully she managed to avoid opening her mouth and gaping though it took a supreme application of her metamorph abilities to keep her voice from shaking as she replied. "I agree I probably shouldn't be here. Rumor has it that a Dark Tosser is on the rise again. Personally I'd prefer to be shipping across the Pond if you know what I mean. Sadly, I think that would be more running away than anything else so, here I am." Maybe if she just ignored the most troublesome part…

Luna frowned for a moment before her face lit up with a smile. She nodded vigorously. "Oh I get it! Well hopefully you'll be able to help us with that issue." Dora suppressed a shudder. She'd definitely have to find time to sit down with Luna soon. That girl knew something and if she said anything…

"So, Dora, right?" Harry's voice asked cutting through her awareness. Quickly turning to Harry she nodded. "So, Dora, you believe Voldemort is back?"

"Wow, you don't shy away from the heavy stuff do you, Harry?" Dora asked groaning. At least this should be a safe topic. She remembered that almost everyone thought he was insane or lying thanks to the stupid _Prophet_. "Yeah, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's generally a duck. That Harry Potter bloke has been through crazy shite before that everyone said was impossible so why are people doubting him now? It's right stupid if you ask me. Burying their heads in the sand and hoping that the lion passes on their juicy behinds sticking up in the air, that's what the Ministry and the public are doing."

Harry's mouth dropped open slightly and his eyes widened. Dora worried she may have laid it on a bit too thick, but thankfully she was saved by the compartment door opening again. She looked up and had to clench the seat cushion to keep from jumping up and hugging Hermione as she stepped into the small compartment with Ron. Instead, Dora hurriedly shifted closer to Harry enough for Hermione to sit down on the bench though Ron took the opening and pushed into the open spot. _Seriously_ , Dora thought glaring at him. _What kind of arse leaves the girl to stand?_

Hermione for her part narrowed her eyes at Ron before awkwardly closing the door and leaning against it. Harry made a move to get up, but Neville beat him to it and waved Hermione to take his spot. "Here, Hermione. This is Dora Kirk, she's transferring from an independent Coven. How was the Prefects' meeting?"

Dora waved companionably as Hermione eyed her critically. After a few seconds the brunette smiled and nodded a greeting. "It went about as well as could be expected."

"Yeah, what with that ponce, Malfoy as a Prefect. Pansy made it too. Don't know _what_ Dumbledore was thinking there," Ron said opening his bag and taking out a chocolate frog. "Hi, nice to meet you, Dora. I'm Ran Weslay," Ron's last sentence was slightly garbled as he stuffed the treat into his mouth and held out his hand.

Dora could only groan. She had really hoped that he'd been better at school than he'd been at Grimmauld but apparently he had the same bad manners everywhere. Maybe she'd make him a pet project too this year. "Um, nice to meet you, but you're going to have to wash that hand before I shake it."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I keep telling him not to do that and he keeps ignoring me. Perhaps you'll have better luck. I'm Hermione Granger by the way. You're from a Coven you say? I'd love to hear about that when you have the chance. I've heard about how the Covens work, but there isn't much material on them."

"Maybe later. I didn't pay much attention honestly," Dora said shrugging. A quick skim through a book while on the Knight Bus certainly didn't make her capable of dealing with a Hermione Granger fact finding mission.

They were interrupted again as the door to the compartment opened and Draco Malfoy and his cronies leered down at them all. "Potter, I see you survived the summer despite how you were _dogging around_ during it." Dora scowled as she felt Harry tense up beside her. The significance of that statement wasn't lost on her at all though Draco tipping his hand so early was the sign of an extreme amateur. How the boy expected to survive under Voldemort was a mystery. "And the Weasel beat you out for Prefect! You must be so ashamed!"

"Malfoy – " Harry started to snarl before Dora cut him off standing to face the trio of Slytherins in the hallway.

She laughed in Draco's face and lightly poked his chest. "You really think you can rile people up like that? That's pretty sad Gel Boy. I'm amazed you can think enough to talk actually. That much product in your hair should probably be giving you brain damage. Or maybe it's a wig? That would make more sense I suppose."

Malfoy's face turned red and his hand clenched his wand. "Watch yourself girl. I'm a Prefect and I can – "

"Do absolutely nothing to me," Dora crooned. This might actually end up being a fun experience! "Beyond not having a House yet, I'm also sitting with two other Prefects who clearly saw you start the taunting match. I don't know if they skipped basic math in your education, but generally two is higher than one. Now run along like a good like metrosexual." She discretely flicked her wand shutting the compartment door. It nearly caught Draco's hand as he jumped out of the way of the flying piece of wood and glass. As it snicked shut, Dora cast a low level locking charm then silenced the door until the Slytherins gave up beating on the door and walked away.

She turned to see all eyes in the compartment staring at her. "What? Did you actually want to talk to them?"

Harry slowly started to clap and then began laughing at her. " _That_ was impressive."

They lapsed into speaking of their summers while Dora leaned back into her seat and plastered a smile onto her face. Inside her stomach knotted over and over. First impressions on Harry and company were done. Now she had to deal with a far more frightening prospect: Minerva McGonagall. Dora breathed deep and made sure she had set her story straight.

Now if only she could remember Wiltshire Gwenog's first name...

* * *

The rest of the train ride went relatively well. By the time they had disembarked at Hogsmeade Dora was fairly certain she'd managed to gain Harry's friendship and Hermione's approval. Neville seemed to like her well enough and Ginny was at least accepting of her even if the red-head seemed to be a bit annoyed. Ron had been too busy staring at her to bother talking much and Luna…well Luna was…Luna was staying quiet about her uncanny knowledge of impossible events at least so Dora was counting it as a win.

She walked up to the carriages with the others only to see Harry stop suddenly and stare at the carriages. Why was he frozen? Why was he looking at the thestrals like they were – _Shite. Thestrals. Cedric. Bloody hell._

"When did we get horses for the carriages?" Harry murmured breathing hard.

"Harry? There are no horses. They're pulled by magic just like they always have been," Hermione said softly stepping back to carefully take Harry's arm.

Dora grimaced and shook her head. "You saw someone die recently didn't you, Harry?" All the teens nearby stopped and stared at her. Dora just walked over to the skeletal horse and patted its back eliciting a pleased grunt from the beast. "There are thestrals hitched to these carriages. Only someone who's seen and understood death can see them. Poor things get a bad rap for that. They're actually really nice beyond looking half starved by nature."

"I can see them too," Luna commented with a sad smile. She came up beside Dora to pet the creature as well. Dora just looked down at the blonde in shock. She hadn't known that the girl had had trauma like that in her past. "They've been here since I arrived. They are quite beautiful. I can't say I'm sorry that you can't witness them yourself, Hermione."

Harry carefully walked forward and reached out to touch the thestral. "Witnessed death…you saw someone die, Luna, Dora?"

"My mother," Luna replied. She turned her smile on Harry and shrugged. "It was a long time ago. Thank you for your concern." And with that, she walked to the carriage and hopped up beside Neville and Ron.

Dora sighed and nodding to Harry turned to walk with him back to Hermione and the waiting carriage. "I'd prefer not to talk about it right now. Maybe some other time." Her mind flashed through several figures ending with Dolohov's head falling away from his body from her severing curse. Shaking her head to push away the memories Dora hopped up into the carriage and remained quiet during the ride up to the gates.

When they reached the doors to the castle, she came face to face with Minerva McGonagall in all her stern, scary glory. Suddenly Dora's cover story didn't seem quite so foolproof. "And just who might you be, my dear?"

Dora gulped and shrugged with a forced nonchalance. "Theodora Nymean Kirk, ma'am. The transfer from the Wiltshire Coven? Please tell me they sent the paperwork because I know I was supposed to bring a copy, but I tripped and kinda…dropped it…and it blew away…along with my book list…I got the potion supplies and I brought my telescope though! Can I look on with someone else until I can reorder my books?" Dora started praying to Merlin and Morgana and God and every other god and goddess she'd ever heard of that this worked. If she could get past McG with a decent sob story and appeal to her love of children…

Minerva sighed and shook her head with a deep frown splitting her face. "I don't recall receiving any of that paperwork, Miss Kirk. Who should I contact in the Wiltshire Coven to obtain a new copy?"

Dora grimaced and affected a bit of a wilt. "Um…well, I would say Mrs. Gwenog, but I got word shortly after I left that she was killed in some sort of terrorist attack the other day." Which was entirely true and why she had chosen Wiltshire to begin with. "I don't think anyone else kept my records and most of the others barely even knew I existed. Marley would be able to help you, but she moved across the Pond a few months ago. Ben was heading to Australia last I heard and um…I don't know of anyone else…"

 _Rule Number 13: When lying always include enough truth with fact that should they investigate you appear legitimate._ Dora muttered a silent thanks to Mad-Eye and his devotion to paranoia and making certain she memorized all his rules to survival. If this worked she would never again make fun of the crotchety old bastard. Plus that random information he'd made her memorize about which Covens Voldemort had been targeting might just pay off after all.

Minerva cast a critical gaze over Dora for another few seconds before wincing and nodding slightly. "I understand, Miss Kirk. It seems we are all losing friends these days. I'll ensure you receive a book list before the evening is out as well as an owl order catalog. The paperwork is mostly to establish a record of your prior performance and is not strictly necessary if you have not yet taken your O.W.L.s. What year were you to be placed into?"

"Fifth, ma'am," Dora said breathing a silent sigh of relief.

"Very well, come with me and we'll get you sorted with the First Years."

Dora nodded and followed in step with Minerva. Well she tried to at least. She made it about ten paces into the castle before tripping and falling into a suit of armor. Her face burning in embarrassment Dora quickly picked herself up and ran after Minerva ignoring the looks from her soon-to-be-classmates as she went. _I remember hitting that same stupid brick and that same stupid armor the first time I walked through those doors Second Year. How bloody ironic is that?_

Her mind wandered as the Sorting took place and she found her gaze drifting around the hall. Draco sent several murderous looks her way which nicely balanced out the affectionate smile of encouragement Harry directed towards her. Dora felt her cheeks burn as she noticed that. Harry really shouldn't be looking at her like that. Wasn't he supposed to be crushing on Cho Chang this year? He sure as hell wouldn't be looking at her like that if he knew her real age. She was probably overreacting anyway. Dora wasn't exactly the poster-girl for a normal relationship and most of the guys she remembered liking her had just looked at her with barely disguised lust anyway. Harry was probably just watching out for a friend and wasn't remotely interested in Dora Kirk.

 _But you're only a few years older than him. You were starting to look at Remus like that before this shite and there was twice the age gap in_ that _potential mess. And if Harry isn't interested in you yet...well it might be a bit fun to flirt with him every once in awhile...after all, it's not like classes are going to be hard so you're going to have to have_ something _to keep yourself busy with_ , a small voice whispered in Dora's mind. She had to flex her abilities in order to keep her blush under control after that. Harry was cute sure, but she couldn't afford to think like that. She had far bigger things to worry about.

Such as what the hell she was going to do with this Hat she was walking up to. This Hat that could see into your mind past any Occlumency barriers. This Hat that she had completely forgotten about until this moment.

"Ah, well now, _this_ is interesting," the Sorting Hat whispered into her ear.

Dora started sweating. She clutched the stool so tight her knuckles would've turned white if she hadn't flexed her metamorph power again. "Er, hi. Before you blab, please take a look at the rest. _Please_."

"Oh don't worry, Miss Tonks, I'm not going to say anything to anyone. I can't. It's part of the enchantments that created me. I also see it would be rather foolish of me to do so even if I could," the Hat started to chuckle. Dora let out a sigh of relief and let her fingers loosen somewhat. "This sort of thing doesn't happen all that often, but every once in awhile you get the occasional dimension hopper or time leaper. Nine times out of ten they're relatively harmless or succeed in their goal of making things better. That tenth time tends to be undone by another party shortly after."

Before Dora could even try to wrap her head around that, the Hat continued on. "Anyway, the important thing right now is where to place you. Normally I'd say Hufflepuff again, but such a clear split with your prior loyalty to Dumbledore makes that a rather difficult choice to justify. Forgive me, but you never were much of a Ravenclaw spirit. Slytherin would suite you quite well though. This plan of yours is delightfully cunning and would fit right in with that House."

"No," Tonks said, her eyes narrowing as she glared at the inside of the Hat. "How the hell am I supposed to protect Harry from Slytherin? Even if he doesn't stop talking to me right away I'll probably end up murdering Draco and getting kicked out before the week was up."

The Hat chuckled again. "Oh we both know you'd never get caught if you did. If would solve a lot of my problems to be honest. You'd be amazed at how many students I had to sort away from Slytherin because they'd had the misfortune of finding out he was in it prior to sitting me on their head. Ah, but if you're dead set against it…"

"Yes. Sorry, but I am _not_ willing to take that risk. I can't let things go the way they did before. I need to fix them and to do that…"

"Yes, yes," the Hat gave a heavy, theatrical sigh. "Very well, better be…GRYFFINDOR!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Much thanks to RhysThornbery for his beta assistance on this.
> 
> AN: I'm treating the Covens similar to the Native American Reservations in the USA/Canada. Also, the Rules that Tonks keeps thinking about are meant to be entertaining references to 'Zombieland' with a bit of Mad-Eye Moody flair thrown in.


	2. Start of School

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Harry Potter. If I did I would be a far richer man. And I'd be a woman. I also don't own Star Trek.
> 
> Reviews are appreciated but certainly not required.
> 
> AN: I'm really not trying to bash Ron and I do still intend to try and make him mature a bit. Most of the stuff he says in this chapter is practically canon…which says something I think…Anyway, on with the chapter!

**Chapter 2: Start of School**

It was close to midnight before Dora felt she could safely assume that the entirety of Gryffindor was asleep. The fact that she hadn't been woken by a loud shout of indignant rage from Harry at her deception had been extremely promising. That did nothing to change the fact that it had been a _horribly long_ five hours after the Welcoming Feast ended that she could act. Every minute she'd waited had felt like a hammer blow against her false persona. Every moment lying wide awake in that bed waiting for the delicate balancing game to come crashing down had been murder. But now…finally, she could fix one of the few truly dangerous items to Theodora Nymean Kirk.

Silencing her rustling, thin pajamas and bare feet, Dora quietly slipped out bed and cast a disillusionment charm on herself. Scowling at the dripping egg feeling of the spell taking hold, she carefully opened the door and padded down the girls stairs and up the boys to the Fifth Year room. She listened outside for a moment before hissing in annoyance. _How do any of them sleep with Ron snoring like that?_ Giving up the reconnaissance, she just crossed her fingers and softly opened the entrance to slip inside.

_Rule Number 8: Never leave loose ends loose. Tie off anything that compromises an identity or be prepared to fight to the death._

Dora almost snorted at remembering that particular item Mad-Eye had rattled off. She highly doubted that Harry would kill her if he found her name on his map, but all the same that would quickly bring up questions she wasn't remotely prepared – or willing – to answer. Plus it would ruin the…well the highly tentative plans she had to help him perk up a bit. She paced carefully over towards the beds avoiding the one with Ron easily enough from the snores.

Dora frowned as she looked at the trunks at the foot of each bed. Normally, it should be relatively difficult to tell a specific student from only their trunk…not this time. Harry's was decided banged up, scraped, scratched, torn and all-around abused. _How did we all miss this? Were we just willingly blind in order to ignore this shite?_ Dora thought to herself frowning. Harry's adventures rarely involved his school supplies which meant that this damage was from his home life…which implied the Dursleys were less than careful whenever they touched his stuff. _Merlin,_ I _picked him up originally. I_ packed _him! How did I not notice this?_

Taking a deep breath Dora shook her head and recentered. She could deal with her personal failings later. She still had a job to do. She ran her wand over the trunk checking for any potential locking or anti-theft runes scowling again when nothing showed up. Yet another thing to teach him. How he'd managed to avoid getting his Cloak stolen for so long was a mystery lost to the ages. Just because one's dormmates were wonderful didn't mean everyone else with access to the Tower was just as amazing.

Looking around a final time for potentially awake teenagers, Dora opened the trunk and summoned out the map. Opening it up, she quickly silenced the area around her and whispered the words to fill it in. Once the ink had spread across into the familiar Marauders' signature, Dora started performing the masking charm Sirius had bragged about back before he'd – Dora's wand froze as she watched her cousin fall backwards through the Veil again. Shaking herself she pushed the image down and restarted the spell.

Sirius had been so happy when he'd explained the prank he'd pulled on James Potter. The old dog had talked about how he'd enchanted his own name to show up as a Hufflepuff Seventh Year that his friend had been crushing on. Sirius had slipped away during a Hogsmeade weekend after implying that the girl was going to surprise James in the Gryffindor dorms. Knowing that James wouldn't take his word and would check the Map, Sirius had run to jump into the showers right away. The way Sirius told the story Tonks had been rolling on the floor with him at her mental picture of shock and horror written on James' face as the boy tore into the showers expecting his crush only to find a naked Sirius Black soaping himself up.

Smiling slightly at the memory, Dora finished the charm and sighed in relief as the name 'Nymphadora Tonks' wiped away to be replaced with 'Theodora Kirk'. _One more problem down. Now I just need to figure out how I'm supposed to take out the Umbitch, what pushed Harry_ way _over the edge, whether Dumbledore was holding more than just the prophecy to his chest, if I can set a trap for Riddle and oh just for fun I should probably see how a certain blonde Ravenclaw has a disturbingly advanced knowledge of my origins._

Dora felt her breaths coming closer together and in shorter gasps. Hurrying she restowed the Marauder's Map and left the boys dorm. She barely made it to the Common Room before the panic attack hit and she collapsed into the armchair curling up into a ball. Gasping Dora clutched her wand hard enough to get white knuckles and conjured a paper bag to breathe into in an attempt to get at least her breathing under control if nothing else.

"I am _not_ breaking down in the Gryffindor dorms," Dora muttered to herself between gasps. "Not happening. Stars. Need stars. Always liked stars." With a heroic force of willpower Dora pushed down the images flying through her mind and the shakes wracking her body enough to shakily stand and totter towards the portrait hole. She could just go back up to the girls dorm, shut the curtains, silence them and cry up there, but…Hermione was there. If she missed something, the bushy haired brunette would be right there trying to comfort her. Hermione would mean well and Dora would respond in kind probably saying far too much far too soon and…that would all that Dora Kirk ever wrote.

_Rule Number 32: Go into shock when you can afford to. Get all teary and grief-stricken on the battlefield and at best your aim is off due to the blurry eyes. At worst someone else you care about dies because you missed something important while you were collapsed._

Dora didn't quite know how she managed to make it all the way up to the Astronomy Tower, but she knew she was there when the cold whipped right through her pajamas and threaded through the soles of her bare feet. For a second she flashed back to the feeling of the sands in the clock pushing into her skin and sucking out all the energy inside her. Gasping again, Dora fell against the side wall abandoning the bag and curling her head down between her knees safely ensconced under her arms. She stopped holding her control over the morph so tightly and let her hair do whatever it bloody well wanted.

Flashes of Hermione unmoving and bleeding out, Ron with pseudo-tentacles wrapped around his throat, Luna dancing through curse after curse, Sirius falling and a dark curse flying towards Harry raced around and around in her mind. Even that wasn't the worst of it. Dora almost chuckled as she realized that seeing a different herself on Platform 9 3/4s was affecting her worse than all of the death had. Tonks was alive. Dora was never going to hug her mother or father again because they weren't _her_ family anymore. They were _Tonks'_ family. She could never go home again.

The door to the Astronomy Tower swung open and closed on its own. Dora just kept crying. It wasn't worth cursing out the wind. "Dora?" a soft, concerned voice carried to her from near the staircase.

For several long seconds Dora didn't recognize it. When the call repeated that voice cut like a knife through her grief and her head jerked up in shock. Harry was standing a few feet away with just his head visible, a deep frown splitting his face. "Harry? Wha-what are- _how_?" _Zero points for elegance or understandability,_ she berated herself.

"I heard a door slam in the dorms. Thought it was mine at first so I got up and went down to check the Common Room. I saw the portrait hole swinging closed, but you were gone by the time I went out. I was worried that…well I was worried that someone had been Imperiused over the summer so I got out the – I got my Cloak and ran to follow."

She uttered a half-sob, half-laugh silently thanking Moody for making sure she got the stupid map fixed before Harry could check it. Then the import of his words finally filtered through her brain and had her head falling back into her knees and crying again. _He thought someone was being mind-controlled on the first day back. God, I was an Auror and that never made it into my top four thoughts in three years. He's fifteen and that's his_ first _thought in_ Hogwarts _! I might as well be arrested for child abuse along with Dumbledore and the rest of the bloody Order of the Flaming Turkey! What does someone have to go through to jump straight to Imperius!?_

Dora felt a hand on her shoulder and she just cried harder. Now he was comforting her. That was just perfect. She was supposed to comfort him. She was supposed to be the mentor. She was supposed to be strong. She was supposed to help him have a good year and she hadn't even made it a single. Bloody. Day!

"Dora, it's okay. Just," Harry fumbled for words and settled for sitting down next to her and squeezing her hand. "Did you lose someone recently?"

" _Everyone_!" she mumbled between sobs. _This was why you didn't stay in the dorms, Dora. Now instead of dealing with the Granger Inquisition you're going to have to deal with the Potter one instead!_ "I lost practically everyone I cared about. Because of a Merlin-be-damned _fluke_! A one in a million shot and wow, clumsy me, I literally trip right into the thing!"

Harry squeezed her hand tighter. She felt him hesitate and a slight tremor ran down his hand. The next thing she knew, his hand had left hers only for a cloak to be draped over her shoulders as Harry moved close enough to fit them both under it. His arm reached out and wrapped around her shoulders. That stopped her sobs though it was mostly because she couldn't figure out whether to start laughing or cry harder at the tension so obviously in his shoulders at the hug. _Harry almost never initiates hugs_ , her mind helpfully supplied. "It's cold out here," he said. "You don't even have shoes on Dora."

Idly, Dora grabbed her wand and conjured a small ball of blue-bell flame. "Some warmth."

Harry snorted and gave her a small smirk. "Those are nice, but not a real solution to frigid wind on the top of a tower. Trust me, I know; Hermione practically specializes in those things."

Dora flashed him a watery smile. "Oh? Explored the tower at night with her have you?"

Harry's face flushed red and he bumped her to the side lightly. "Haha, very funny. Do you want to talk about it?" He asked suddenly serious again. "I watched a friend die right in front of me a few months ago…I never really got the option to talk to anyone soon after thanks to – well I just never really had the chance to talk to someone willing to listen once I was ready to say anything."

Dora's eyes turned to the stone at her feet and she scowled. _Damn Dumbledore and his isolation. Damn us all for blindly following that stupid advice! 'Rule 44: Never leave someone to wallow alone in grief. It almost never ends well. Worst comes to worst, send them to a Muggle therapist. Folks work wonders.'_ "There's not much to say, Harry. I just can't ever go home again. Not everyone is dead, but they might as well be for all that they are part of my life anymore." She paused and managed to wipe the frustration off her features before looking back up at him. "If you want to talk now, I'll listen you know…"

He shrugged. "I don't need to talk at the moment, but…but I'll probably take you up on that at some point this year. Let's see how Defense goes first, yeah?" he said trying to laugh it off.

Dora nodded and leaned her head against his shoulder. He really was warm and soft despite his bones being far too close to the skin. She had to fatten him up and get some muscle onto the guy. "Okay," she whispered.

"Okay," he replied just as softly.

They lapsed into companionable silence for several minutes. When Tonks had finally regained a degree of decorum Harry finally turned to her and asked, rather nonchalantly, "So, Dora…that's some interesting hair you have there."

Dora frowned in confusion for a second before checking with her powers and her eyes widened in horror. Her hair had turned a disturbing mixture of pink, white and deep blue. "I don't even know how I did that!" she said gaping at the strands in front of her face. Screwing up her concentration for a moment it swapped back to pink and she sighed in relief. "I've never been able to get multiple colors before…everything I've read always said that's the best you can do with hair anyway…you can change different clusters of hair over the body to different colors, but not one grouping to multiple colors…Merlin, I was messed up…"

Harry smiled at her and chuckled. "Well now you have something to work for. I take it you're a metamorph?"

Dora nodded. She had never been intending to hide that. It was as much an aspect of _her_ as her magic was. Giving up being a metamorph would've been a step too far. Though she'd initially wanted to make a game of it – maybe a new hair color every day until someone figured it out. That Harry had found out before she'd established herself...thank God she'd changed her vocal chords a bit to sound deeper than her original voice. There's only so much coincidence that he'd accept before beginning to punch holes in her cover. "Yeah. Self-trained. There's not really many of us around even counting the other countries around the world. Maybe five or six from what I was told."

"Wow, Tonks never mentioned it was so rare," Harry said whistling low. Dora tried to suppress a grunt at that comment. "I have a friend who's a metamorphmagus. I could send her a letter; see if she'd be willing to train you a bit. She's an Auror so her time would probably be pretty limited, but anything would be better than nothing right?"

Dora just _barely_ managed to keep from gagging. There was no _WAY_ she'd be taking 'lessons' on how to shift forms from her younger self! No. Way. "I'm good thanks. It's more fun to figure things out on my own."

"Hmm," he murmured. Dora had a sinking feeling she'd be receiving a letter from her own hand in a few days no matter what she said.

Grimacing, at that thought Dora moved to stand and helped Harry to his feet as well. "We should get back. Both of us need to get some sleep." Harry nodded and together they set off for the Gryffindor Tower under his Cloak. It was far slower and more frustrating than she'd expected traveling that way. Harry's Cloak had always seemed so amazing, but now one-on-one she saw just how difficult it was to use for more than one person at a time. Mentally she chalked disillusionment onto the list of spells to teach him. That was more than enough to get past prefects and Filch.

Once they were finally safely back in the tower, Harry took off the Cloak and smiled at her. "Next time you go for a midnight stroll remember the shoes and warmer clothes, Dora."

"I will, Scout's Honor," she said though upon seeing his blank look she rolled her eyes. "Muggle thing. Boy Scouts." Turning, Dora walked over to the stairs to the girls dorms. She paused on the first step and looked back over her shoulder. Harry was still there near the couch watching her with a comforting smile. "Thanks, Harry. For coming to check on me. It…it means more than you can know. Thanks."

* * *

The next morning, Dora was practically skipping as she walked down to breakfast. She'd only ended up with about three hours of sleep, but that wasn't unusual at times with her job – her _old_ job that was. The talk with Harry had helped quite extensively as well. _I probably shouldn't have let him hold me like that. I should be keeping_ some _distance. Just because I look 15 doesn't mean I actually_ am _fifteen…though it's not like I'll be changing into my real age so maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I just…_

Dora shook her head and berated herself. She was here to comfort, support and protect Harry. She was not here to flirt with the teenager. There were very few ways that could end well. _Well there is one. It would certainly improve his mood – and mine too._ Dora had to use her abilities to prevent a blush from spreading on her cheeks. "Bloody hell, I swear if I gave myself teenage hormones by switching to this body I'm going to scream," Dora muttered. Puberty once had been bad enough; puberty twice would be a nightmare! Though on the other hand she almost wished it was puberty – finding a teenager attractive probably didn't say many good things about her mental state otherwise.

Rolling her eyes at herself, Dora sat down next to the other Fifth Years and piled some food onto her plate. Ron was too busy impersonating a vacuum cleaner to acknowledge her, but Hermione smiled and waved. "Good morning, Dora. What do you think of Hogwarts so far?"

"Mornin' it's nice from what I've seen. Haven't really gotten to explore too much though," Dora said shrugging. Should she mention seeing the Astronomy Tower? Would that help or hurt? Would they even care?

The decision was quickly made for her when Lavender spoke up, "Going wandering around on the first night was pretty gutsy. When did you get back? Like two?"

Hermione frowned and crossed her arms. Dora winced, figuring she was already going to get yelled at. Perfect. "Hermione, she lost people to Voldemort," Harry said quickly sighing. "I found her and calmed her down before Filch did. It's no big deal."

Dora breathed out in relief at that and tossed Harry a grateful smile. It was even technically true – from a certain point of view. Hermione looked between the two and her frown slowly morphed from disappointed to sorrowful. "Dora, I sympathize, but you really shouldn't wander the halls at a night. I am sorry for your loss, I truly am, but the castle isn't always as safe as the staff like to pretend it is. If you have any issues again, please try to stay in the Common Room. With people like that…woman…here, it really would be far less stressful."

"Sure, Hermione. Won't happen again. Just didn't really want to go breaking down where people could see," Dora said nodding.

Ron shrugged and brandished a fork at her. "Why? Crying here or crying in some classroom, it's all the same. You're crying anyway. Might as well cry somewhere comfy yeah?"

Dora groaned and let her head bang down onto the tabletop. She wanted to rehabilitate this moron? Hell he'd probably reached into the bloody aquarium and grabbed the stupid cognivore brain himself! Hermione wasn't quite as reserved as Dora. "Ronald Weasley! Honestly, do you ever think before you speak? You have the emotional range of a teaspoon!"

"What did I say? If a girl is going to cry, what does it matter where she does it?" Ron asked utterly confused. Several dark looks from pretty much every other person in earshot was the boy's only response. Dora just groaned louder. She was about to try and explain the thought process involved and why he was being an insensitive arse, but Ron was saved by McGonagall arriving with everyone's schedules. Dora winced at seeing Potions, History of Magic and Defense all on the same day.

"Well this is going to be fun," she muttered glaring at her schedule. It was Auror training all over again.

Harry glanced down at her sheet and snorted in amusement. "Well at least you don't have Divination too. I wish I had never taken that course…"

Dora shrugged. "Well, talk to McGonagall. Maybe you can switch out of it."

"I think that would be a fantastic idea, Harry! You can switch to Ancient Runes or Arithmancy with me!" Hermione exclaimed beaming. "You'd have to be ready for the O.W.L. in it, but I can tutor you on the first two years worth of material and we can make certain that you're ready. It will be hard, but I'm sure I can get a schedule built that will work around all the other commitments we have for this year."

Harry frowned in thought. "Hermione, you can probably learn three years of material in one year, but I'm not really up to that task…"

Ron snorted. "Yeah, why would he want to do that? Do you know how much extra work that is? Mental!"

"Either option would seriously help you, Harry," Dora said sparing a short glare at Ron. _Shut up, Ginger. I'm trying to save people's lives here._ "Both are great for working with wards or more advanced spells. I have a decent background in Runes so when Hermione is busy with prefect work, I can take over the tutoring." She steadfastly ignored the scowl and glare directed at her from Ginny and continued on. "From what I've heard, you don't have the Inner Eye so it's not like you have any greater chance of passing Divination anyway."

Harry frowned and looked between the two girls. Finally, seeming to accept their counsel he twisted towards Angelina Johnson to get a fourth opinion. Dora couldn't help a bit of a smile at that. It wasn't a bad move considering this was the older girl's last year and all. "Angelina, you're in both right? Do you think I could catch up if I worked at it? Is it even worth it?"

Angelina nodded. "Definitely worth it if you actually want to do something after graduating. Divination like Trelawney teaches is utter shite. The discipline as a whole is interesting, but we'd need a real teacher to justify skipping either Runes or Arithmancy for it. She's honestly worse for the subject than Binns is for History. If you're willing to put in the work and promise not to skip Quidditch practice because of it, then yeah, definitely switch."

Harry sighed heavily and stood up. Three out of four was apparently enough to convince him. "I'll meet you guys at class."

"Hey, don't forget, tryouts for Keeper are Friday!" Angelina called out as he left. Harry just waved in reply.

Dora hurriedly finished her breakfast smiling to herself. _One change down. About a million more to go_.

* * *

Dora was fidgeting uncomfortably in the hallway outside the Potions room when Harry finally walked up cringing. "I really am going to regret doing that…" he murmured. "McGonagall said that Arithmancy was probably a bad idea with the way my grades had been previously, but she was willing to put me in Runes. She did say that if I show I can do the Arithmancy work by the time we sit the exams she'd be willing to let them test me on it too."

Dora smiled at him and lightly punched his shoulder. "Way to go, mate! We'll get you there."

"You're bloody mental, Harry," Ron said shaking his head. "Who _volunteers_ for extra work?"

"If it'll help me fight Voldemort then I'd be mental _not_ doing it, Ron," Harry said. Ron looked incredibly embarrassed and the surrounding conversation abruptly cut off. Dora closed her eyes and suppressed a grimace. No one would ever accuse Harry Potter of being subtle.

"What are you dunderheads standing around for? Get into the classroom! Unless of course you feel you are all perfectly capable of passing the O.W.L.s at this moment in which case I invite you to leave immediately and never return." Dora scowled at Snape's voice as she followed the others inside. She was a bit surprised when Harry ended up sitting down next to her leaving Ron to sit with Hermione. He must still be annoyed with the red-head.

Snape started droning on about how important this year was for their futures and blah, blah, blah. Dora could barely focus on his words and had to focus mightily on her powers to keep her face from distorting in rage. Her hair almost flashed red though she managed to keep it on the flighty yellow she'd chosen this morning. Snape. This bastard was part of the reason so many had died. He was only working for himself. Snape was only interested in saving his own arse and damn anyone else.

This self-serving, bigoted arse would not be on her list of people to save.

"Miss Kirk, it seems you feel you don't need to pay attention to my lesson," an unctuous voice cut through her thoughts.

She looked up at Snape with exaggerated ease shrugging. "Sorry, Professor. I was just wondering when you were going to get around to actually teaching. If you're just going to put a series of instructions on a board and insult us, I think an owl could probably teach this class more effectively."

Silence resounded throughout the room. Internally, Dora berated herself. This was stupid, antagonizing Severus Snape…so much for sticking next to Harry as much as possible. Comparing him to an owl – she'd be in detention for a month now.

"Why you little – "

"Professor, you mentioned a boil reduction potion that might be on the O.W.L.s?" Harry asked raising his hand.

Snape paused and looked between the two students for several seconds appearing torn. Finally, he sneered and said, "40 points from Gryffindor. Kirk, detention tonight, 8pm."

Dora smiled slightly as she dropped her head down to the table. Harry had effectively managed to get Snape caught between his general hatred of Harry, his usual hatred for being interrupted and his newfound hatred for her. Points and a detention were apparently easier than figuring out whom to curse or berate from the group! "My hero," she murmured soft enough for just Harry to hear. Her smile grew a bit wider as he reached over and squeezed her knee momentarily.

* * *

Listening to Umbridge drone on and on about how Voldemort wasn't back, how Harry was a lying pile of dogshite, how her assigned book was useful…Dora had thought that Snape was bad but this was even worse. She'd seen the Umbitch around while working as an Auror and she'd know how despicable the woman was, but those minor interactions hadn't remotely prepared Dora to deal with this. It was all she could do to not curse the woman until Umbridge could barely remember her own name.

When Harry started yelling back at her Dora had tried to intervene only to be pushed back down into her seat. Harry was angry enough that she could practically feel his aura crackling with ambient magic. If it had been under different circumstances it would have been hot as hell. Now though…now…

 _Guess I found just why Harry had such an awful year_ , Dora thought scowling as Umbitch sent Harry off to McGonagall with a note. _Priority number one, either shackle or get rid of the bitch. No way is this going to continue. Trying to have the_ Prophet _run a story on her is useless when they're in Fudge or Malfoy's pockets…Dumbledore and Minerva didn't do anything last time so it's unlikely they will this time…Amelia Bones probably won't be able to act as long as Fudge is still in power. Damn, even if she does act Fudge will get Umbitch off and just make things worse for us all and Amelia in particular. Got to figure something out myself._

With an idea of what to research and plan during Snape's detention, Dora walked into his dungeon after a hurried dinner. With the bare minimum of conversation exchanged, she set to work cleaning his cauldrons from their earlier creations. Snape alternatively glared at her and graded the summer homework. Dora was perfectly fine with that.

She spent nearly two hours scrubbing iron and bronze for him. During that time she'd come up with a rough plan of how to deal with Umbitch. She'd first try to trap the evil little toad into doing something illegal, submit a memory of the incident to Amelia and watch the sparks fly. If that failed, she'd organize the students into tormenting her until she quit.

If all that failed and Umbridge was still tormenting Harry – and the school – then Dora would…deal with it herself. She really hoped it didn't come to that. She'd never agreed with Dumbledore's pacifist approach to fighting Voldemort, but that didn't mean she wanted to resort to more permanent solutions as a first option.

A vision of Hermione and Sirius flashed in front of her again and she heard Harry shouting out the torture curse. Baring her teeth, Dora resolved to do whatever was needed to be done to prevent that future from happening.

Besides…there were ways to remove someone from the playing board without killing them.

* * *

Dora left the dungeons and made the long trudge back to the Gryffindor Tower. She had had to make an unscheduled stop outside the door to the Hufflepuff dorms first unfortunately. Old habits apparently extended to more than just her penchant for greeting others with 'wotcher'…Sighing Dora shook her head and kept marching upwards. She grimaced as she realized that the Luna situation had been postponed. The girl had disappeared after dinner when Tonks had tried to find her so that was something to add to the list to be taken care of tomorrow.

Dora waited for the staircase to align correctly as she tried to puzzle out just what was going on with that girl. She had certainly seemed privy to the 'odd' nature of Dora Kirk's existence yet she'd also seemed fully incapable of recognizing just what huge implications that had – implications for both, Dora's temporal displacement and _recognizing_ Dora's temporal displacement.

 _Or maybe she's just a great actress_ , Dora thought chuckling. It certainly wouldn't be the first time she'd encountered that.

_Rule 5: The best actor is the one who never stops. A man alone at home who uses a wheelchair even while he can secretly walk is FAR more deadly than a man lying about having a second wand._

Dora sighed. There just wasn't any way to know for certain what was going on until she could track the Ravenclaw girl down and sit with her for a long chat.

Maybe she should try out for the Keeper slot on the Quidditch team too while she was here…Dora had always loved being on a broom and she was good enough that she could play the position. Having a form of stress relief outside of sex would be good. Plus it would allow her to have an excuse to watch Harry during practices. As far as she could remember there shouldn't be anything earth-shattering that would be altered by joining the team…Her To-Do List just kept growing…

Finally reaching the Tower, Dora walked in and sat down on the couch with a sigh. "I hate Snape," she announced.

Chuckles and snickers resounded throughout the room. "We all do," Ron commented, never even looking up from his game of chess with Seamus. "Greasy git is out to get all Gryffindors."

"Professor Snape, Ron," Hermione sighed. "Though I can't really dispute the latter. He really does seem to hold a grudge against the house unfortunately. The best option is to simply do the work well enough that he can't take off any points for it."

"Something tells me he'll still find a way to say my stuff is wrong," Dora said lifting her eyebrows at the brunette who grimaced but couldn't deny the validity of the statement. "Well, I'm just going to self study then outside of class. He's not the one grading the O.W.L. and there's no point in losing a whole qualification just because the teacher is a git."

Hermione smiled and nodded along. "A study group is a fantastic idea, Dora! I can see if there are any others interested if you'd like?"

"Sure, might as well," Dora agreed. It wasn't what she'd meant, but she might as well help anyone interested. Looking around the room she frowned at a distinctive absent presence. "Harry sleeping? I would've thought he'd be back before me what with Snape and all…"

"He hasn't come back from detention with Umbridge yet," Hermione replied frowning deeply. "It's been nearly three hours. I'm starting to get worried."

Ron finished up his game and stretched. "He's probably just wandering the castle. We'll catch him tomorrow."

Hermione huffed. "Well if he's wandering the castle than perhaps we'll catch him tonight, Ron."

"Why?" the red-head asked. Dora winced, she could guess where this was going.

"Because we have patrol in two hours, that's why!" Hermione said glaring at her friend.

Ron nodded. "Ah right, forgot. Well I should go get a nap in then in that case. See you in a few, Hermione!" Waving back at them he sprinted up the stairs to his dorm. Dora just raised her eyebrows at the space he'd vanished into as the rest of the room slowly started to empty.

"That guy is…what idiot made him a prefect?" Dora wondered aloud.

Hermione sighed and shifted over to the couch. "I honestly don't know. I know Ron is my friend, but he really has no business wearing that badge. He's going to give the younger years a bad impression of the responsibility involved with the position if he doesn't start taking this seriously!"

"Maybe if you frame it in Quidditch terms, he'd get the importance," Dora muttered. "So when are going to hunt down our wayward friend?" Hermione blinked in surprise at the change of topic though was saved from replying as the portrait hole opened and in walked the subject of their conversation.

Dora's instincts screamed alarms at her as she took in Harry's form. He was paler than usual; his hand was wrapped in a strip of cloth; the cloth was stained red; his face was set in a mixture of pain, hatred and determination; and most telling, he immediately tried to slip past the girls to get to his dorm.

_Rule 21: If someone is acting shifty nine times out of ten it's because they have something to hide._

"Harry," Hermione said quickly getting up and moving in front of him. Dora silently congratulated the other girl. Harry would have to actually reach out and physically push her in order to walk up the stairs. "What did that woman have you doing?" Hermione's voice also contained a heavy note of worry and trepidation. The girl's instincts were good.

"Just lines," Harry said. Dora didn't miss the way his wrapped hand clenched and unclenched at that.

Standing she moved closer to the two and gently took Harry's non injured hand in her own. "Harry, remember how you said last night that I could tell you things that were bothering me? I responded by saying it goes both ways. What's wrong with your hand?"

Harry scowled and hid it behind his back causing Hermione to stare at him in mild shock and Dora to get even more determined to help him. "What did that toad do to you?" she whispered venom lacing her voice.

"I told you, lines," Harry said cringing back. He was scared of being seen as weak. Of course he was. Dammit. Dora cursed herself. She should've seen this.

"Harry, please, we just want to help," Hermione said gently. She stepped forward and smiled softly at her friend as she lifted his forearm so she could get a better look at his hand. "Please let us see?"

Sighing deeply, Harry nodded. Hermione unwrapped the cloth on his hand and gasped. Dora leaned forward and snarled. His hand had deep cuts on the back, 'I must not tell lies' standing out in stark contrast from the still bleeding wounds. " _Blood Quill_!" Umbridge had just succeeded in leaping to the top of the priority list.

 _A year of being tormented by a woman willing to use a blood quill for three hours on a school student. I'm amazed he didn't end up using the killing curse on Bella…Dolores Umbridge is_ not _going to get away with this!_ Dora barely heard the comments from her friends as she planned. She had to try legitimate options first prior to escalating. Especially since escalating would likely end up with a dead transfigured toad with the mood Dora was in.

No. She'd try something that really should work with minimal issues. She'd go to McGonagall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Much thanks to RhysThornbery for his beta assistance on this.
> 
> There are apparently British Boy Scouts. I have no idea if they have the same familiar sayings as the American version and I couldn't find confirmation either way so I'm just going with: if they do great, if they don't Tonks knows the American saying.
> 
> I'm letting Harry swap classes mostly because with how much McGonagall seems to hate Divination, I see her allowing something like this. She knows that Hermione can tutor him somewhat effectively and he's coming to her on the first day with a legitimate concern for his future. She'd hopefully help him out on this one.
> 
> To be clear on why Dora isn't immediately marching down to destroy Umbridge, it's largely that she's trying to avoid killing everyone who happens to get in the way. She doesn't want that to become her default response. Going by 'my future knowledge makes me right and this is justified' is a slippery slope that she wants to avoid as much as possible. Plus if Umbridge were to disappear shortly after a detention with Harry Potter…well that really wouldn't look good for him.
> 
> \/\/\/\/
> 
> I'm going to do something similar to what I did with 'Rune' here and collate new additions to Moody's rules. The list will be updated only with new additions going forward.
> 
> Mad-Eye's Rules For Successfully Reaching Retirement:
> 
> Rule 1: Always make certain that personnel involved in an active investigation and/or protection detail have all relevant details. Lack of detail leads to injury and death.
> 
> Rule 2: A victim is always more likely to comply with Auror recommendations if they are aware of the scale of danger inherent in their situation.
> 
> Rule 5: The best actor is the one who never stops. A man alone at home who uses a wheelchair even while he can secretly walk is FAR more deadly than a man lying about having a second wand.
> 
> Rule 8: Never leave loose ends loose. Tie off anything that compromises an identity or be prepared to fight to the death.
> 
> Rule 10: Always stay calm. Even with Killing Curses flying, staying calm will probably save your life.
> 
> Rule 13: When lying always include enough truth with fact that, should they investigate, you appear legitimate.
> 
> Rule 21: If someone is acting shifty nine times out of ten it's because they have something to hide.
> 
> Rule 25: If you can't get it right, fake it til you make it.
> 
> Rule 32: Go into shock when you can afford to. Get all teary and grief-stricken on the battlefield and at best your aim is off due to the blurry eyes. At worst someone else you care about dies because you missed something important while you were collapsed.
> 
> Rule 44: Never leave someone to wallow alone in grief. It almost never ends well. Worst comes to worst, send them to a Muggle therapist. Folks work wonders.


	3. The Butterfly Flaps

**Chapter 3: The Butterfly Flaps**

Dora marched down the seventh floor corridor with Harry and Hermione practically jogging to keep up with her. She'd drafted Hermione to be the rearguard in case Harry decided Umbridge's torture 'wasn't worth going to a teacher over'. Not that she actually thought he'd run away once they got him to agree, but in the immortal words of her scarred mentor:

_It's always better to be safe than sorry. Never forget Rule 3 because it'll kill you._

Dora's hands may not have been clenched and her teeth may not have been grinding together, but her mindset was plain to see for anyone who knew metamorphs. Her hair was dark red; not the fun, fire-engine red, no, this was a deep crimson – a fiery, blood-red shade. She was still set on avoiding the slippery slope of killing everyone who stood between her and a happier future, but…Dora silently started praying that McGonagall would be able to handle things enough to let her rage cool off. Again, better safe than sorry.

"Um, Dora?" Hermione murmured as they rounded another corner. "I know this may not be the most appropriate time, but, well your hair…do you by chance have metamorphmagus traits?"

Dora cursed under her breath and her lips twisted into a small scowl. _Perfect. Three days in and Hermione Granger finds out about the metamorph thing. She was supposed to get to know the new me first and now she's just going to get suspicious. Stupid bloody_ HAIR _!_ "Yeah. Trained myself. Harry already mentioned you had a friend with the talent too. Small world, huh?"

"It certainly seems that way sometimes…" Hermione replied trailing off as Pansy Parkinson and Malfoy came into view around the next bend.

"Oh ho, look what we have here, Pansy!" Draco drawled as a large grin spread across his face. "Gryffindors out of bed after curfew! I think that'll be 50 points each and detentions with – "

"Fudge off, Malfoy," Dora snarled as she shoved past him. She didn't actually touch him but let loose just enough of a wandless spell with her gesture to send him into the corridor wall with a soft, fleshy slap reverberating out. By pleasant coincidence, a rolling tapping evidenced his wand bouncing happily away down the corridor as it escaped from his clutches. "We're with a Prefect and going to see our Head of House which is allowed by school rules. Plus your patrol doesn't start for another hour so get back to your broom closet before I send McGonagall after you!"

Without even deigning to glance in his direction or waiting for a reply, Dora kept marching forward hearing the pounding of feet as Harry and Hermione caught back up. "I'm going to have to start taking notes from you," Harry said with a quiet chuckle as McGonagall's office finally came into view. "That's twice you've shut him down without even trying."

"You let him get to you that's what your problem is, Harry. Either ignore bullies entirely, force their own medicine down their throat, scare the shite out of them or piss them off enough that they get too confused to keep going after you," Dora muttered. _Too much 'Tonks', not enough 'Dora'. Sod it; Dora could have had a bully problem too._ She pulled up outside the Head's door and took a careful breath to center herself before politely knocking.

The students only had to wait a few moments before McGonagall opened the door and narrowed her eyes as she caught sight of just who it was. "Already?" she asked wearily. "Normally I expect these sorts of meetings after about a month, not the first _Monday_ of term. Come in." The teacher stepped to the side with a sigh and beckoned the trio in.

Dora took a seat in front of McGonagall's desk while Harry plopped down beside her and Hermione took the far seat. Once they'd arranged themselves, the Gryffindor Head set down a trio of tea cups and a plate of biscuits before taking her own seat and folding her hands around a cup of her own. "Please, drink. If the prior years are any guide, I expect this to be a conversation requiring a bit of tea. I do admit, I'm slightly surprised to see Mister Weasley replaced by Miss Kirk."

Dora snorted while Hermione's eyes widened and she sat up straighter in shock. Harry blushed and shrugged. "Yeah…well, Dora was kind of the reason we're here, Professor. I said we should have just left it alone and that I could deal with it…"

"No!" Hermione said turning to him with a scowl before she glanced down at the bandage around his hand and her face fell, her eyes blinking harshly and her mouth quivering as she reached over and gently laid a hand on his arm. "You are _not_ letting her get away with this, Harry!"

Dora's eye twitched enough even her powers weren't enough to get it under control. Instead she opted to ignore the tic and leaned forward laying her hands on her knees in an effort to keep them from shattering the chair by squeezing too hard. "Professor McGonagall, I was led to believe that if we had any issues we could come to speak with you about it. We have an issue; a large one. Harry just left a three hour detention with Umbit-with Umbridge."

"Miss Kirk, I know that you are new to Hogwarts, but detentions are not something that necessitates a visit to your Head of House," McGonagall said with a raised eyebrow. The teacher turned to Hermione obviously waiting for a slightly more in-depth explanation.

Hermione closed her eyes and sat up straighter folding her hands into her lap before nodding. "Harry, show her your hand." He stayed still enough that without the rising and falling of his chest, one would've been forgiven for thinking he might be sleeping – or dead. "Harry, _please_. _Please_ , show Professor McGonagall your hand. We can't help you if keep us all out."

Harry stared at the floor scowling and didn't move. Dora reached over and gently squeezed his thigh smiling at him as he looked up and met her eyes followed by Hermione's. Sighing, Harry unwrapped the gauze she'd conjured for him and held out his revealed injury towards McGonagall. The Scott frowned as she leaned over the desk and peered at his hand. After a moment her eyes widened and she sat back with a gasp. With trembling hands McGonagall reached out and grasped her tea cup taking a long sip while she regained her composure. Finally setting her mug back down, McGonagall nodded. "Just to ensure I understand the situation correctly: Madame Umbridge had you, Mr. Potter, writing lines for three hours using a blood quill?"

"She didn't say that's what it was, but that was what Dora said when she saw it too so I guess so," Harry said drawing his hand back into his lap.

"Please describe the quill, Mr. Potter."

"It was black," he said shrugging. "It didn't use ink, it pricked the back of my hand whenever I wrote with it and the ink looked like my blood. Every half hour or so Umbridge would stop me and check the back of my hand. When she finally let me go, she said it 'looked like the message had sunk in for the moment'."

McGonagall took a deep breath and drained her cup. Dora didn't know if Harry or Hermione caught it, but she certainly recognized the moment. McGonagall was pushing down her rage and trying to quell the urge to rip and tear into someone. The hand shaking and the grim set around the eyes was the key distinction between rage and fear. Every Auror learned fast to tell the difference - hazard of the job. McGonagall eventually got herself under control and set her cup to the side, folding her hands on the desk though Dora didn't miss how her eyes lingered on the cabinet with the firewhiskey. "That is how a blood quill works, Mr. Potter. You weren't originally intending to bring this to my attention?"

Harry shrugged. "She's doing this because I'm speaking out that Voldemort is back. She's not going to stop. I already have detention through Friday with her and the woman is specifically making it so I miss the Quidditch tryouts. This is between her and me." He paused for a long moment before sighing and continuing, "Also, Professor, in the past when I've come to you with things you haven't done very much so I didn't really see a point in this trip. You've never overturned any of the biased decisions Snape makes, you ignored us with the Philosopher's Stone, you brushed us off with the basilisk, you didn't do anything last year with the Tournament…" Harry trailed off staring morosely at the floor.

Hermione had paled as Harry started speaking and by the end she was wringing her hands while looking anywhere but at their teacher. Dora had to take several deep breaths at the list of transgressions. _We didn't just miss a single year of hell. We missed_ every _year of hell. Merlin…how am I supposed to give him a good year when I seem to be the only one picking up on everything that's gone wrong? It's Harry Potter! How could we_ all _have been this blind…?_

McGonagall's fingers clenched around each other hard enough for the knuckles to briefly turn white. Dora almost mistook it for anger at Harry until she noticed that the older woman's eyes were fixed firmly on her own fingers. McGonagall wasn't angry at Harry, she was angry at _herself_. Guilt – yet another common expression on Dora's old partners. It was several long moments before she managed to respond. "Mr. Potter, while my past performance may have been lacking to a degree, I am ashamed as both a teacher and a Head of House that you did not feel something of this magnitude could be brought to my attention. The Head of House's primary job is to ensure the safety of their students; that you no longer feel I can do that…"

Harry shrugged still refusing to look up. Dora carefully folded her arms and leaned back. She waited until McGonagall met her gaze before speaking, "Perhaps you can start making up for that now, Professor. Are we safe in assuming that Umbridge will be gone before classes start tomorrow morning?"

McGonagall pushed back from the desk turning to her window for nearly a minute as she gazed out among the grounds as if searching for a different answer than the one she had. She slowly shook her head before turning back to face the trio. "I am truly sorry, Mr. Potter, but I cannot remove Madame Umbridge from her position." Dora's nails dug into her palms hard enough to pierce the skin and she gnashed her teeth loud enough that she almost missed McGonagall's reasoning. "Unfortunately, the woman has been 'appointed' by our esteemed Minister and it is not in my power or the Headmaster's to dismiss her."

"So call the bloody DMLE and _arrest her_!" Dora shouted her hair darkening further before she clamped her mouth shut again.

She'd barely cut off before Harry reached over and gently squeezed her hand. "It's okay, Dora. I'm used to this. Every year the Defense teacher is evil and has it out for me specifically. We only missed one year and from a certain point of view even Remus tried to kill me so technically he counts too. This is par for the course in my life."

"It _shouldn't_ be!" she cursed.

Hermione violently shook her head before shouting, "Harry, you shouldn't have to deal with this year after year after year! We _cannot_ let this just pass without any form of repercussion anymore! It's just going to keep happening and it's going to get worse like it always does and someone is going to try and kill you _again_!"

Tears welled up in her eyes and Harry gently pulled her head down to his chest as he awkwardly pat her back. "Hermione, it's okay, really. This isn't anything new. I dealt with it before I can do it again. Umbridge has nothing on Faux-Moody."

McGonagall sighed and grimaced as she looked to Dora. "Miss Kirk, perhaps your guardians did not bring this up much in the Coven, but Minister Fudge has many friends in many positions. I have the utmost respect for Amelia Bones. Unfortunately, with the current climate, even she would not be able to keep Madame Umbridge imprisoned for longer than a day or two maximum. The reprisals that would come down from the Minister upon both the DMLE and Hogwarts should we try would likely end up being worse than if we do nothing." McGonagall looked to Harry with a heavy frown etched onto her features. "I am sorry that you are yet again at the center of things, Mr. Potter. I am sorry that yet again, I must disappoint you. I may not be able to lock away Umbridge, but I can at least ensure she is unable to target you or cause further injuries. Report to my office tomorrow for a single detention. All further ones for this week are cancelled though I recommend you come here all the same in order to keep up the illusion long enough for Umbridge to not realize you can attend the tryouts again."

Harry shrugged. "Sure. It's more than I expected. Thank you, Professor. Have a pleasant evening." He stood and gently tugged Dora to her feet as well. Hermione jumped up a moment later to follow them both as he moved towards the door.

McGonagall held up a hand and Dora turned back trying and failing not to glare. "Mr. Potter, if you stop by the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey will be able to give you murtlap essence. It will ease the stinging and prevent the development of scars."

"I was going to recommend that myself, Professor," Hermione murmured following the others outside. As the door shut Harry took Dora's hand and started leading the way down to the hospital wing. Hermione blinked at him and cocked her head to the side. "Wait, you're not fighting going to see Madame Pomfrey?" Her eyes narrowed as she glanced momentarily to Dora before settling back on Harry. "You always avoid her domain whenever I try to suggest it."

Harry chuckled and shook his head. "I don't _always_ avoid the hospital wing, Hermione. Generally yes, but my hand does hurt." He paused long enough for Dora to frown as she caught a blush spread on his cheeks. "And Dora should probably get her palms looked at."

Hermione frowned and glanced down while Dora's eyes widened and she turned her hands over to stare at her palms. The thin trails of blood had her drawing in a sharp breath. "I didn't even realize I was doing that…"

"I'm not the only one who needs to loosen up apparently, Dora." He smirked at her and turned back to keep heading forward.

Dora dropped back into step with Hermione. The brunette cast a small, watery smile in Dora's direction. "Welcome to being friends with Harry Potter."

* * *

The sun was barely peaking over the horizon when Dora found Fred and George Weasley bouncing down the stairs from the boys' side of the dorm. She smiled predatorily and stood up from her spot where she had been sitting vigil on the couch, unfolding her arms as she beckoned them towards a corner of the Common Room. Frowning slightly, both nonetheless followed her. Dora leaned casually against the wall using her new perch to survey the room. It was empty enough; Hermione had paused her morning review to glance their way and Neville was sitting in the armchair nearby. Other than that, the only people in the area were far enough to be outside hearing range of a quiet conversation. That worked, she didn't need this to be entirely cloak and dagger, but she wasn't about to begin advertisements until the battle had been joined in earnest.

"You two are the primary pranksters in this school yeah?" she asked.

Fred smirked and nodded. "That we are, Kirk. Are you hoping to contract our services?"

"One of the boys trying to get a bit too close a bit too quick?" George picked up the thread with a wink. "Word of warning, we consider Ron fair game, but we won't touch Harry unless he's done something particularly naughty."

Dora rolled her eyes in response and had to bite her tongue to avoid saying a fun rejoinder that was not at all appropriate for a fifteen year old girl to utter. "I'm not looking for payback on unwanted suitors, but I'll keep that in mind for the future. What I _am_ hoping for is assistance in declaring war. Umbridge is in the business of torturing students. Snape is an arse, but he doesn't actively hurt people from what I've seen so far. She does. McGonagall and the school can't do anything about her. So I will and I want your help."

Fred narrowed his eyes and quirked his mouth for several moments before responding. "We're not fans of her either, but war sounds extreme and we tend to try to keep things below the 'extreme' line."

"Blood quill," Dora said arching an eyebrow. She had to flex her power to keep her hair from switching away from the yellow she'd chosen for the morning. "She uses blood quills during detention. If Hermione and I hadn't pushed him to tell us last night, Harry would probably be permanently scarred by the end of the week."

Hermione stood then and walked over with a sigh. "She's right. For what it's worth…I agree. If the staff is unable to take action against such abuse…perhaps other avenues are more appropriate."

The book in Neville's lap clattered to the floor with a loud bang and the blushing boy quickly picked it up and dropped it on the couch. He glanced to the four and grimaced at their questioning gazes. "Sorry, wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but that history lesson was a bit dry…Hermione you're actually okay with pranking a teacher?"

" _This_ teacher," Hermione corrected primly. "Dolores Umbridge should not be around children. I am…concerned what the younger years will have to deal with around her. My initial excursions into magic were bad and my teachers were perfectly acceptable and did not _torture_ us during class or in detentions." She paused for a moment and continued in a mutter, "Even if one of them turned out to be possessed he was always just a stuttering wreck in the class environment at least."

Dora blinked at that and quickly ran through a list of teachers that description would apply to. _Quirrell? The one who died at the end of…oh holy hellfire…what_ else _has Dumbledore kept from us!?_

"What Hermione is skirting is that Umbridge is evil," Dora said shaking her head and clamping down on all her bubbling feelings. "I want the bitch gone. I want her tearing her hair out by the end of the week and running from the grounds in terror by the end of the month."

George slowly nodded. "We can do that. We'll have to start slow though. Ramp things up methodically."

"We should get Peeves involved," Neville said. Dora and the twins turned to goggle at him while the noise Hermione made would have sent Crookshanks running from the room. "What? Peeves is the longest running prankster in the castle. He'll be willing to help if we phrase it right. I was in that class too; she was purposefully baiting all of us and Harry was just the first to respond. She would have done it to any of us if we had yelled before him. The woman _is_ evil. That's also completely discarding how between her and Fudge, Vol-Voldemort is going to end up running the country by the end of the year! If we're going to get her to run for the hills then count me in."

"Well said, mate." Fred clapped Neville on the back and grinned. "Well said indeed. Now we just need some ideas for how to start."

"How about every quill she picks up runs dry?" Hermione asked.

Dora raised her eyebrows at the brunette. "That's not exactly a big deal, Hermione."

"No think about it! Think how utterly frustrating it would be! We'd have to charm her hands instead of the quills that way she couldn't even borrow a quill. She wouldn't be able to write any letters or grade any papers. It's also karmically appropriate considering this is in response to the use of a Blood Quill so she'd understand exactly why we're doing this."

Fred and George both nodded. George smiled at the girl and took out a piece of paper to write some notes. "It's good. Don't underestimate the effectiveness of minor annoyances over long periods of time."

"She's fond of pink right?" Fred asked. "How about we lighten her skin a bit while we're at it? Maybe to a bit more of a…girly tone."

"Pink skin and loss of writing is an okay start," Dora said as a large smirk crossed her face. "But I think something a bit more personal is needed as well."

"Like what?" Neville asked.

"Oh nothing too bad just yet…I'm just thinking that if she can't find her door because it looks just like the surrounding stone…well that bitch is a bit too proud to sleep anywhere but her own room. I'm curious to see just how long before she cracks and begs one of the other staff for help finding her bed."

The twins laughed, Neville chuckled and even Hermione gave a small smile. "I like this plan," George commented wrapping an arm around Dora. "You show promise, Dora Kirk. The Umbitch Offensive starts this morning!"

* * *

"Hey, you got a few minutes?" Dora asked the fourth year blonde as dinner let out. Luna turned and smiled as she saw the metamorph. The way her eyes focused just past Dora coupled with the slight tilt in her head and too wide grin left Dora distinctly uncomfortable and slightly unnerved. _Yeah and the fact that she knows there are two of you has absolutely nothing to do with that._ Sighing Dora continued, "We need to talk for a bit."

"Certainly!" Luna said nodding quickly. "I was hoping to be able to interview you before the next edition. Daddy has complained that the _Quibbler_ doesn't have enough intriguing articles for next month since our expedition to find the Crumple-Horned Snorkack was unsuccessful."

Dora groaned and wiped a hand across her face. "See _that_ right there is one of the things we have to talk about. Come on, there's a room I can safely ward this way." The blonde skipped along happily in Dora's wake either ignoring or oblivious to Dora's discomfort. Both girls entered the classroom and Dora swiftly set up her brand of privacy wards – spell combinations that had actually managed to make Moody smile once upon a time.

_Rule 17: Always assume someone's listening. Always._

Hopping up onto the professor's desk at the front Dora waited for Luna to take a seat in one of the student's spots. The blonde sat with a large smile and doe eyes causing an internal groan from Dora. _How am I supposed to threaten or yell when she looks at me like that? Not that I plan on things going that way as it is but still…it's nice to have the option to yell if needed. Stupid innocent eyes._ "Luna, on the train you mentioned that there were two of me. Can you explain a bit about what you meant with that?"

"Of course," Luna said nodding. "I meant that the hufflepinks surrounding you show you had a double nearby. Or that you are the double. It is sometimes difficult to determine exactly what the hufflepinks are expressing." She frowned and furrowed her brow as she tilted her head to the side and stared at Dora. After an uncomfortable thirty seconds Luna shrugged and leaned back. "They are quite faint now. It could mean that your double is quite far or it could be that you and she have begun to split your combined path. I won't know for certain until the blibbering humdingers start to circle you. That's always an excellent sign that a preordained road has taken a turn through the bushes."

Dora struggled to keep her hair under control while she sorted through exactly what Luna was saying. "Sooooo, what do you think about me? Or I guess the better question is who do you think I am?"

Luna's mouth twisted into a thoughtful expression and she started to rub her chin. "It's hard to say. Normally these things are very difficult to determine. However, I do remember seeing a strong concentration of hufflepinks flying near an Auror on the platform before we left London. She had pink hair…I believe Daddy has mentioned her name as…Tonks. Yes! It was Tonks. I believe you may be a doppelganger of Auror Tonks!" Dora felt color draining for her face despite flexing her control. Luna just grinned widely and nodded emphatically. "Do you remember perhaps walking into a faerie circle? You could have lost quite a bit of time that way and yet the Fair Folk may have returned you to a different time then you left meaning your older counterpart could be walking around under a new identity…Or perhaps Auror Tonks had an accident with a backfiring spell? Mother was working on new forms of spells and rituals as part of her job. One had an adverse reaction and it killed her."

Luna paused and closed her eyes visibly suppressing a small shudder. Dora tried to ignore her own rising panic to try and comfort the young blonde, but before she could say anything Luna had opened her eyes again and her smile was restored. "I'm sorry, mother passed quite some time ago. I didn't start to see the hufflepinks or the blibbering humdingers until after that event. I believe there might be a correlation, but it's not really important. The key is that Auror Tonks could have been involved in a similar circumstance that resulted in a different outcome. Perhaps your mind was erased in the process and you filled in the blanks with what was available? I can ask Daddy if I can borrow one of the plimpkin detectors to check!"

Dora opened her mouth to respond and shut it after a moment when drawing a blank. She tried again and again came up speechless. Finally she sighed and leaned forward resting her elbows on her knees and staring intently at the blonde. "Luna…can I trust you to keep a secret?"

"Of course, Dora! I don't have many friends to tell it to anyway," she paused and shrugged. "Actually, since Ginny tends to stay with the Gryffindors while in school I doubt I would have anyone to tell. You are the only one I would gossip with. Or Harry possibly; he was very nice to me on the train and at dinner the other day. I doubt he'd enjoy gossip though considering how his previous years have progressed."

Dora frowned at that before shaking her head. "Okay, we'll address your social life later. Right now I need to focus on this…hufflepink thing. Luna, I'm swinging in the breeze here. You know enough to be dangerous, but on the other hand you know enough to be a great friend – something that I badly need right now. You're also obviously incredibly smart."

"I _am_ a Ravenclaw," Luna said smiling guilelessly.

"True, but I was talking more about your deduction skills." Dora gathered herself and took a deep breath. "Luna, what if I told you you'd hit on the right answer?" _If this doesn't go well I can always obliviate her. I_ really _don't want to do that though._

"Well, I'd want to interview you even more…" Luna said. She shrugged and sighed. "You seem very interested in privacy and secrecy though so I doubt that will be happening. I would still like to learn the specifics though. It all so very intriguing!"

"Luna…" Dora paused to set her resolve and jumped into her leap of faith. "Something did happen to Auror Tonks. This year…it went very badly. It was horrible enough that by the end of the year Harry and several of his friends wound up raiding the Department of Mysteries."

Luna cocked her head to the side and her eyes widened slightly. "That doesn't sound like a very good idea. Many things in that department are supposed to be quite dangerous."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Dora muttered. "I don't know all the specifics, but I can tell you that Harry thought he was trying to save his godfather. Tonks and several of her friends hurried to the Ministry to try and help Harry. Unfortunately, they were too late. There were some deaths and when Tonks tried to save Harry from Bellatrix Lestrange, something in the Time room had a…bad reaction to a spell." Dora grimaced and leaned back spreading her arms wide. "I landed here a few days ago, changed my name, changed my face and I am doing the best I can to try and change the rest of the bullshite that has happened this year that leads us to death and destruction. That's why I can't let you officially interview me or say anything to anyone else about me being different or weird. My cover is weak enough that anyone actually looking would see through it and then Harry would still end up storming the Ministry. I can't let that happen. I won't."

Luna frowned and cocked her head to the other side once Dora's rant was over. Her eyes roamed over the metamorph and Dora felt as if she was being sized up by the little blonde. She resisted the urge to control her red cheeks or her slight panting breaths. She wasn't going to hide how upset thinking about the events of the DoM were making her. "I would like to help if I can," Luna finally said softly. "I'm not incredibly knowledgeable regarding spells, but I am quick and I learn fast."

Dora blinked and stared at Luna. _Okay…not what I was expecting there._ "Apparently I've been drafted into a study group by Hermione already. I'll see about expanding it to multiple Houses and discussing some more advanced spells. Until we get rid of the Umbitch we certainly won't be learning decent defense tactics and my Auror background should help somewhat as long as I can keep it realistic to what a teenager should know…Luna, you don't have to jump into this with both feet you know? I'm mostly just looking to vent since I can't exactly go to Harry with this. I just need you to stay quiet about my origins and let me rant every once in awhile."

"You were kind to me when you didn't have to be. Harry reassured me when he had just barely met me. I would like to repay your kindness with my own," Luna stated wistfully. Dora's heart about broke at that. Reading between the lines it wasn't difficult to see why this young girl had ended up in the DoM with Harry and the others…

"Thanks, Luna. I promise, I will do everything I can to make sure you don't regret this. Before we leave do you mind if I check your Occlumency skills? I imagine your father taught you the basics already, but I'd rather be sure myself."

Luna smiled and chuckled. "You can certainly try. Daddy tried to teach me after mother died, but he gave up quite quickly."

Dora frowned before shrugging and leaning down enough to peer into Luna's eyes. She took out her wand and gently pointed it in the girl's direction. "Well, let's see how good you are then. _Legilimens_."

Most people's memories were simple to navigate. Without Occlumency, a skilled Legilimencer could wander their target's mind with relative ease. The intruder could flit from memory to memory in moments searching out the important information and avoiding all the chaff in the way. Luna's mind was…anything but simple. Instead of a slideshow of memories and distinct roads between them, Dora found herself inside a kaleidoscope. Fractured scenes split in half and merged with other half remembered fragments before curving off and skipping into a merry dance around a completely separate and seemingly unrelated moment. No matter where Dora turned, the memories flitted and changed from moment to moment leaving her head hurting and feeling like she was wandering through a labyrinth filled with spikes and pitfalls.

Hurriedly she pulled back out and rubbed her temples. "Ow…Now I see why your dad stopped. Talk about natural defenses. How the heck can you function thinking like that?"

Luna shrugged. "It is difficult to maintain focus at times, but generally it makes everything quite entertaining! I have no issues remembering things and I honestly don't quite understand why people have so many difficulties navigating my internal mindscape. I don't question it though as it makes things far simpler in many aspects."

"Yeah, well whatever works for you." Dora hopped off the desk and hesitated for a bare moment before pulling Luna up from her desk and hugging the girl for a few seconds then stepping back with a smile on her face. "Thanks for listening, Luna, and thanks for keeping quiet about all this."

"Of course, Dora." Luna paused and glanced to the floor before asking softly, "Are we friends now?"

"Yes, Luna, we're friends," Dora responded gently letting her hair change to pink. "You need me for anything feel free to come calling and you can hang out with us whenever you want." The beaming smile and nod from the younger blonde set Dora's mind at ease. If nothing else, at least she'd have been able to brighten one person's life through all of this mess.

Turning to leave she dropped the wards around the room and had her hand on the door before Luna called out one final remark. "Dora, I don't know if you considered it yet, but the hufflepinks might have diminished because you and she are no longer the same as you once were. Even the few days you've been here must have left a large impression. If you don't truly consider yourself her, the hufflepinks may have lost interest."

"I'm…not sure whether that's correct, Luna," Dora responded slowly clamping down on a rush of conflicting emotions that almost set her hair into a rainbow. "But I'll keep that in mind." Turning the doorknob, she walked out and went to go find her wayward Gryffindors.

* * *

Friday afternoon saw the arrival of Quidditch tryouts for the Gryffindor team. Dora ended up ignoring her reservations and trying out. After all, it was a good stress relief and a perfect method to stay close to Harry…and that was _all_. Yup. That was it. No ulterior motive. None whatsoever.

 _I seriously need to start working out again soon_ , Dora thought to herself with a slight scowl as she stepped off the broom and studiously avoided watching the way Harry's shirt was clinging to his abs. _A good series of exhaustion runs will clear this nasty little attraction right up. Can't be attracted to someone if you're too exhausted to do more than concentrate on walking._ She nearly laughed out loud at the thought of Dora Kirk _not_ concentrating on walking. The day that happened would probably be the day she died.

"Alright, Harry with me, everyone else, talk amongst yourselves," Angelina called out clapping her hands together and smiling. Harry flashed a small grin and thumbs up to Dora and Ron as he hurried over to their captain.

"You were so much better than me," Ron mumbled glumly kicking at the dirt. "Did the Coven have a team you played on?"

Dora shrugged. "Nah, I just have good reflexes and always loved to fly. It's a good combination. I generally play Chaser, but with those girls flying together for years there's no way I'd be good enough to muscle a spot."

"Well you beat me."

"Ron," Dora sighed and turned to face him fully. "You have major confidence issues. You're actually better than I am at Keeper. The things you saved I would never have managed. You let one or two taunts from the watchers get to you though and suddenly you crumbled like a sand castle in the tide. Why do you care what others think or say?"

_Rule 50: Ignore everyone, but your own inner voice. If he can live with your actions so can you. Damn the rest._

Ron shrugged. "I don't." Dora glared at him and raised an eyebrow while crossing her arms and tapping her fingers and foot. It only took a few seconds before he caved. "I don't know alright? I've always cared what everyone else thinks. It's just matters to me!"

"I guess you'll never be on the Cannons then," Dora commented offhandedly. She turned back to face Harry and started a silent count. She'd made it to three before Ron jumped in front of her with a scowl etched deep in his features and red spreading across his cheeks and ears.

"What do you mean I'll never be on the Cannons!? What the bloody hell does caring about how people see me have to do with Quidditch?"

Dora's lip twitched as the fly was snared into her web. "Only _everything_." At Ron's blank look Dora heaved a heavy sigh and shook her head. She pointed back up towards the goals and shrugged. "They last won about forty years ago." _Forty two according to the official records unless you count that exhibition game where Barton knocked himself out and fell on the snitch on his way down._ "Yet every year they keep playing and keep their spirits up. Every year those guys get right back on the broom with a huge smile and have a grand time playing the game. Everyone badmouths them for their record, but they don't care. They _enjoy_ the game and it's enough for them. If you care more about what people think than simply doing what you want to do…well you'll never make it on the Cannons."

Ron frowned and looked back at the stands then the goals before rubbing his chin. "You…may have a point there…I'm going to have to think about that."

"Think about what, Ron?" Harry asked as he walked over.

"Nothing, Harry. Just a bit of stuff to chew on." Dora resisted the urge to high-five herself. Ron could be matured. She just needed to keep finding the right way to relate it to his world.

"Gather round troops!" Angelina called out waving the wandering hopefuls in. As they all gathered she nodded to each. "Thank you everyone for your interest. We're going to have a reserve for each position this year in case of injuries. If you haven't made the primary team or the reserves then don't give up. Keep practicing, keep your chin up and come on back next year! Or this year if it turns out that we need more reserves. Anyway, here's the decision." She stopped for a brief moment to ensure that everyone was listening and nodded again. "Harry is obviously Seeker; his reserve is Ginny. The Chasers will again be me, Alicia and Katie. Reserve for this position is Demelza; Demelza, you did great you just need a bit of work with flying in a team. Beaters are again Fred and George. Reserve for Beater is Fay; again well done, you just weren't quite as harmonious as the twins. Keeper is Dora with the reserve as Ron."

"What?!" Cormac McLaggen shouted throwing his gloves to the ground. "Kirk, Weasley?! What the hell! I saved three more than Weasley and I flew rings around Kirk!"

Dora snorted and raised her eyebrows. "When was this? Was it while you were distracted by trying to flirt with Katie or while you were shouting at 'Colin' that 'he' needed to pull 'his' arms forward more when 'he' hit the Bludger. That was Fay by the way."

"Oh he was shouting at me?" Fay asked with a chuckle. "I know I keep my hair up when I play, but I think you need your eyes checked if I look like a guy to you, McLaggen."

"Cormac, if you had managed to keep your mouth shut or your opinions to yourself maybe you could've beaten out Ron," Angelina said with a sigh. "As it is though, you're arrogant, disruptive and you mess with the team dynamics. Curb the attitude and maybe you'll have better luck next year." McLaggen scowled deeper and stormed off muttering. Angelina rolled her eyes and turned back to the group. "To those of you who made the team, congratulations! You'll see the practice schedule up shortly. To everyone else, you all put forth a great effort and I hope you try out again next time! Well done everyone!"

As the group split off Ron waved goodbye to Harry and Dora and headed back towards the showers. He didn't look happy, but Dora took heart in the fact that his shoulders weren't slumped like earlier and he seemed to be walking with a purpose instead of shuffling. Harry frowned and stared after the red-head. "I…kind of expected him to be a bit more…upset?"

"I talked to him," Dora commented. "I don't know if the epiphany will stick or not, but he should be looking at Quidditch at least with a bit better perspective. Maybe…I hope. Maybe I should ask Merlin and Morgana for some help…" Dora grinned at Harry winking and he couldn't help but laugh at her joke. They were still chuckling as Umbridge waddled onto the field with a sickly sweet smile on her face.

Dora's eyes lit on the toad and it was all she could do to avoid scowling and cursing the Ministry bigot. Their pranks had left some evidence of frustration and the sleep deprivation was already showing in the circles under the Umbitch's eyes. Her pink skin contrasted nicely with the strong smell of dungbomb hanging permanently around the woman. Peeves' contribution to the war efforts was simple and consistent with the poltergeist, but in this circumstance it was proving effective to a degree.

"Mister Potter," the Umbitch said in her high-pitched whine. "You are skipping a detention. Such a naughty young man. I do believe I am being forced to see you in my office yet again. Tonight at – "

"You obviously haven't checked the roll books, Madame Umbridge," Professor McGonagall said as she walked out from the stands. Dora let her mouth lift in a small smirk at the sight of the Head of House. "Mister Potter's detention ended already. He had far more than enough time to come and attend tryouts." The smug look on the professor's face was almost worthy of a picture.

Harry nodded. "Thank you for worrying about my future though, Madame Umbridge," he smiled at her, a grin that never reached further than his mouth nor did anything to hide the slightly mocking tone in his voice. "Excuse me. I really need to get changed."

"So do I," Dora said with smirk at the Umbitch. "I'm sure I _smell_ from all that flying. Have a great evening Madame Umbridge." She brushed past the woman ignoring the raised hackles sent her direction.

As the door to the showers banged closed Dora leaned back against the wood and hung her head. She could hear the other women already in the shower so she felt secure enough to let go to a small degree. Umbridge was frustrated sure, but this wasn't what Dora had been hoping for. The woman was still trying to pull people into her 'special' detentions and there was only so long that the other Heads of Houses would be able to stall her. She wasn't pulling her hair out and she seemed to be just as determined as ever to trap Harry somehow. They'd have to start ramping up their efforts soon.

Or…Dora scowled. No 'ors'. Time _could_ be changed. It _could_! She'd already changed things! Harry wasn't getting scarred; McGonagall, Sprout and Flitwick were shielding their students; she was on the Quidditch team; Ron was… _sort of_ growing up. Time _could_ be changed!

The bad future was _not_ a fixed point. This was going to work. She was _going_ to save them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Much thanks to RhysThornbery for his beta assistance on this.
> 
> What Luna sees exactly is a bit of a minor mystery. I may or may not have someone speculate on things down the road. Either way, I know what I intend with it and am writing with that in mind when dealing with Luna. So if I can't figure out how to fit the Luna explanation into the story at some point I'll just explain it in a short AN.
> 
> \/\/\/\/
> 
> Mad-Eye's Rules For Successfully Reaching Retirement:
> 
> Rule 3: It's always better to be safe than sorry. Never forget Rule 3 because it'll kill you.
> 
> Rule 17: Always assume someone's listening. Always.
> 
> Rule 50: Ignore everyone, but your own inner voice. If he can live with your actions so can you. Damn the rest.
> 
> \/\/\/\/
> 
> Fic Recommendation: "What's a Little Death Between Friends?" by kathryn518. This is a Harry/Tonks story with a bit of a different backstory than in canon. Remus died with Sirius and Harry ended up absorbing the Horcrux - becoming a bit darker in the process. Six months after the end of the war Harry goes to step through the Veil to prove he's still mostly himself and Tonks stumbles across him. Thanks to both of theirs' horrible luck, while trying to talk him out of it they both fall through. Ending up back in 1976 Harry and Tonks proceed to royally screw around with history. An excellent story with a fun Grey!Harry and interesting Tonks/Black sisters. Like most of what kathryn does, it's a bit slow in updates, but each one is well worth the wait! Also, it doesn't take over 200k words for Harry to get laid in this story! All in all, a fun story so far that shows a ton of promise. It also takes a different tack than I am with a time-lost Tonks dealing with her time-normal counterpart.


	4. Dropping the Ball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This chapter was originally going to be longer, but I decided where it ends now was a better stopping point than my original plan. So sorry for the slightly shorter-than-normal length, but expect next chapter to be a nice bit longer. It's currently planned to cover most of the events of winter break.

**Chapter 4: Dropping the Ball**

"Halloween," Dora murmured as she slipped on her shirt and looked into the mirror with a grimace. "I used to think of this day as a celebration…" She shut her eyes for a brief moment and when she opened them again her hair was a jet black and fashioned into a shoulder length bob. "I was such an idiot."

Sighing, Dora grabbed her bag and headed down to the Common Room. It only took a quick glance to see that Harry and Hermione were long gone – just like she'd been warned by the brunette. _"This isn't the anniversary of Voldemort's first downfall for him. This is the day his parents were murdered."_ Forcing down her remorse at being so unknowingly insensitive in the previous timeline, Dora squared her shoulders and set her features. This was a new life and the mistakes of her past – future? – didn't need to define her. She might not be able to promise Harry a decent day on this particular event but, she would at least be able to make it bearable.

That resolve lasted until she reached the threshold of the Great Hall and saw said young man hunched over eating his breakfast. The strain around his eyes and the white knuckles on his fork stood out in stark contrast to the smile on his lips and the flippant way he was laughing with his friends. A lance of regret spiked straight through her core as Dora recognized the mask Harry was wearing. She should recognize it – she'd worn it herself for over two months now. Shaking her head to clear it of the feelings welling up, Dora stalked over to the Gryffindors and plopped down beside her young friend with an easy grin. "Morning."

"Good morning, Dora. Happy Halloween," Harry replied. As he turned his false smile on her and his gaze played across her hair the mask dropped ever so slightly and she saw the lingering fear and pain reflected behind his green eyes. "Sorry for leaving early. We wanted to grab some food before the masses arrive." A momentary pause saw him continuing in a far quieter voice that she had to strain to hear, "Thanks for the gesture, Theodora."

"They deserve to be remembered by more than just you and Hermione," she responded matching his tone. With a reassuring smile she patted his leg and said louder, "I get it by the way. I imagine you probably don't want to be around people for too long today." Dora's comment immediately had Hermione's head twisting around with narrowed eyes to glare at her. Harry however just shrugged and gave a small sigh the metamorph more felt than heard.

"It could be worse. At least people stopped trying to congratulate me after First Year."

"We take our wins where we can get them," she agreed sagely.

Hermione's silent warning ebbed away at the easy reaction of the two friends and she sighed, reaching over to pat Harry's arm. "That's good advice. It doesn't do to dwell on the defeats of the past when we can take our victories and use them to march forward."

Across the table from them Neville cocked his head to the side and chuckled. "Um, I don't think that's _quite_ what Dora said, Hermione."

"Yet, the sentiment remains intact. Or at least that's what the Jimmers show," Luna replied with a shrug. Dora figured the blonde had opted to sit with their group this morning since most of the Ravenclaws hadn't made it downstairs yet. At the odd comment several heads turned to stare quizzically at Luna.

Dora just rolled her eyes and held a piece of bacon out like a pointer. "So, Luna, what _do_ the Jimmers show?"

" _Why_ do you encourage this talk of creatures that in all likelihood do not exist?" Hermione groaned.

"They might not _all_ be made-up," Dora replied with a grin as she nudged Harry. The amused lifting of his lips was enough for her.

Luna waited politely for the ribbing to end before she nodded to Dora. "To answer your question, Dora. The Jimmers float on the emotional strings of conversation. They particularly like to congregate on the waves between participants who share the same meaning if not the same words. Paying attention to Jimmers has greatly helped me with learning new languages."

"Really?" Harry asked. "What languages do you know, Luna?"

"I can converse in Spanish, Gaelic, French, German, Bulgarian, and Gobbledegook. I can also understand Mermish after last year, but I cannot speak in it. It hurts my throat," the blonde said grimacing.

Everyone within earshot gave appreciative nods and Neville let out a low whistle. "Wow. That's really impressive, Luna."

"Thank you, Neville. I find languages to be fun puzzles to solve. I hope to one day determine if more magical species have their own languages and learn those as well." She tapped the table and shrugged. "Perhaps I will contact the Scamanders to see if they have a good place to start down that path…"

Anything anyone was going to say in reply was lost in the flap of wings from the rafters. The morning post had arrived. Cold fingers of dread took hold inside Dora's chest as she listened to the feathered messengers bearing their burdens. She'd done everything she could to prevent what she knew was coming today, but…time had seemed to have a way of coming back around and forcing things back onto the train tracks no matter how many switchbacks she threw up in front of it.

Hedwig dropped the Daily Prophet into Harry's hand and settled onto his shoulder nuzzling him softly before she turned and barked sorrowfully towards Dora. She felt the color drain from her face. That owl was far too smart for the message to be lost in translation. "Hell," Harry cursed. "He attacked Azkaban. Got most of them out."

Tossing the paper onto the table Harry scowled and glared as if hoping the parchment would catch fire. Hermione didn't give mental combustion a chance to occur as her hand shot out and scooped it up. Dora's mouth was dry and she was forced to lay her head in her hands in order to focus on her hair enough to keep it from flashing through color after color. "Damn you, Fudge!" she murmured. "Damn you! Moody and Amelia would've been able to stop him if you hadn't _blocked_ them!"

It was the only logical explanation. Every claim was investigated when there were certain key phrases that popped up. It was procedure. Dora had made certain her two letters had included every single one. The Azkaban warning should have sent up enough red flags that the additional required guards on the island could've repelled Voldemort's small numbers with ease. The only way to circumvent the increase would have been through direct Ministerial veto. Fudge would be directly responsible for all of those deaths that came about from the freedom of Adolphus, Rookwood, Dolohov, Bellatrix –

_Bellatrix was FREE!_

Dora would see that bowler hat tossed through the Veil for this.

A growl and slamming fist cut through her thoughts. " _Not this time!_ " Dora's head jerked up and she stared with wide eyes at Neville Longbottom. The shy, reserved Gryffindor she'd come to know had completely vanished. In his place was a snarling, white knuckled demon of rage. Neville's muscles were quivering and his wand was sparking. The paper in front of him whipped around in a sudden gust of wind doing nothing to calm the young man across the table. The change was so complete and so abrupt that if she didn't know better she'd be questioning whether Neville was possessed. "Dora, Hermione, Harry," he said suddenly turning his eyes to lock on each of them. "Regular studying isn't enough. Teach me to _fight_! Use the Defense Association group and _teach me how to destroy them!_ "

Hermione bit her lip as she set the Prophet onto the table. "That wasn't originally why I started getting us together…but you may be right. Harry, Dora, how do you both feel about expanding our studying goals from learning the theory and practicals to genuine attempts at combat related defense? Harry you'd probably be our best teacher for the moment unless I can find a professor willing to help…"

Harry paused for a moment. He looked at Neville with a calculating gaze and then turned to Dora. When she noticed him staring at her images of Bellatrix sending that black streak of death towards him rose unbidden and flooded her view. She lost full control of her hair and had to scowl for several seconds as she forced her Occlumency to the limits and brought it back under heel. "I'll do it," Harry said his voice tight. He had turned back to Hermione but his left hand snaked out and squeezed Dora's thigh under the table. "We need to know how to defend ourselves and simply practicing the spells in Moony's books aren't enough anymore. Not with so many Death Eaters free. Neville, meeting tonight, make sure everyone knows. Hermione, ensure we're fully expanded into the other Houses. I didn't see any Ravenclaws beyond Luna last week so talk to them and also ask Daphne Greengrass to spread the word among the Slytherins. They're going to – "

"You can't invite the Snakes to the DA, Harry!" Ron hissed glancing around to make sure their conversation hadn't carried.

_Rule 40: Never discount a potential ally. If you don't act like a villain turncoats will be more loyal than your own men._

Dora took a deep breath and spread her hands as she turned to Ron. _This_ was getting cut off at the head. "Ron, the Cannons got Marcus Gregory on their team last season right?"

"What the bloody hell does that have to do with anything?!"

"What team was Gregory on before that?"

Ron rolled his eyes and replied with a wave of his hand. "The Falmouth Falcons. Everyone knows that! It caused a huge stink that he switched like that!"

"Right," Dora said nodding. "His family had always supported the Falcons. He'd flown with the Falcons. It was easier than going against his family and friends. But when the Cannons lost a member and needed a new Chaser what did he do? He immediately dropped his contract with the Falcons and went to help the team he _always preferred_. Don't you think there might be some Slytherins just going through the motions right now? Sticking with their House on the outside so as to avoid becoming targets or ridiculed or bullied? Now that sides are going to have to be drawn though…what if we have some Marcus Gregorys among the Slytherin Snakes?"

Ron's mouth opened and closed several times though no sound came out as the red slowly drained out of his face. Finally, he huffed and crossed his arms slouching back down into his seat. "I'm still going to watch them. Not every Falcon is Gregory and not every Snake is a Lion."

"Of course not," Dora replied. "Just give them a chance to prove where their loyalties lie, that's all I'm saying."

"I…I can do that," Ron said heaving a sigh. Luna smiled and patted his arm as she leaned over to whisper in his ear. Ron's face went red again though this time his expression made it obvious it wasn't due to anger.

Hermione looked at her friend with confusion writ across her features before shrugging and turning back to Harry. "So it's decided then. I'll get us together for tonight. When we get dragged into this fight we are _going_ to be prepared."

* * *

The stress of her insane aunt once again being free to torture, maim and kill or just generally spread her insanity around the world was severely distracting. Dora felt like a weight had settled across her shoulders and Halloween passed in a daze as she went through the motions in class. She'd been able to make minor changes with relative impunity but everything major was still progressing towards the inevitable. Harry was still somewhat somber, Umbridge was still wreaking havoc, the Order was still useless, Malfoy was still in favor, Fudge was still Minister…Bellatrix was still free.

" _RIBBIT_." A load croak from the front of the room served to pull Dora out of her circling thoughts. She risked a glance up and her lips curled upwards ever so slightly at the sight of Umbridge. Their latest round of warfare had been engaged earlier in the week and it was working out rather spectacularly. The horrible woman was croaking or ribbitting every few words. To make matters even better – or worse though only Umbridge would take that view – each ribbit had her tongue shooting out about a foot to catch one of the flies buzzing around the room. Dora really had to thank Neville for that suggestion. Hermione's idea of adjusting the Ton Tongue Toffee had been brilliant, but it only ended up becoming practical once Neville suggesting bringing their own flies to class. Peeves had agreed to set up a collection of the insects inside an unused classroom and they were grabbing a few prior to every Umbridge sighting now.

The results were _highly_ satisfying. Dora wasn't above admitting that this 'prank' was likely crossing several lines and had most certainly made the leap from 'annoying' to 'downright mean-spirited' but she wasn't going to stop. She also wasn't remotely near the bottom of her list of ideas and if Umbridge didn't crack soon then Dora would have to pull out the big guns and start using strategies that the _actual_ teenagers would probably be better left out of. Plausible deniability and all that of course.

"Miss Bulstrode! Detention! Mocking my _ribbit_ is entirely unacceptable and downright _ribbit_!" Umbridge scowled at the end of her shout slamming a fist into the desk. "When I find who _ribbit_ I will ensure they are expelled and _RIBBIT_!" The upside to the war's new level of severity was that not even the Slytherins felt like getting between Dora's team and Umbridge. The open secret of the perpetrators was acknowledged by the students then firmly ignored in order to avoid drawing the gaze of the demons onto themselves.

Dora calmly raised her hand before asking, "Professor Umbridge? What page did you say to stop on before? I couldn't quite understand it originally and I want to make sure I can finish the entire required segment."

"Page _ribbit_. Page _ribbit_! PAGE _RIBBIT_!" Umbridge let out a frustrated scream and shot her wand into the air drawing out three numbers on the board behind her. Her hand was clenched tight enough that for a moment Dora thought she might get to see the poor abused wand snap. Sadly the gleeful triumph of that potential opportunity seemed to pass by. Dora just sighed and nodded to the toad-woman before turning back to her book and pretending to read.

Umbridge stalked back to the front of the room and began to pass out the papers that would be required for their homework. Dora and Harry both took one and immediately stuffed them into their bags to be forgotten. Neither of them – _not even Hermione_! – had done any of the homework required for the class. All three knew they would end up failing the course no matter what their work showed so there was no point wasting their time. They'd prove how well they _actually_ performed during the O.W.L.s.

Thinking of the O.W.L.s made Dora pause as the class wrapped up. She had yet to decide just what she would be doing on those tests. She'd probably still fail History, maybe Astronomy too. However…she could probably get O's on most of the rest…Should she though? Was that fair to do that? Did she even _care_ if it was fair? She'd need to get a good job so she could support Ha- Dora froze completely as her thoughts ground to a halt.

"Hey! Watch it!" Pansy Parkinson barked just barely avoiding slamming into Dora's back. Shaking her head, Dora mumbled an apology and started walking again.

 _What the hell was that?_ She thought scowling at herself and her hormones. _This is_ temporary _! I am not going to be watching over that guy for the rest of his bloody life! And even if I was_ he'd _be making just as much money as me! If not more! Though Harry would probably be a good househusband and – NO, BAD DORA, BAD! No fantasizing about the Boy Who Makes You Feel Warm And Fuz – BAD DORA!_ Scowling deeper and now with a slight blush coloring her cheeks, the metamorph dropped off her bag in the dorms before proceeding back to the Room of Requirement.

The Room of Freaking Requirement…Merlin if she had known about that thing when she had gone to Hogwarts originally…Dora's blush deepened and she walked past to set the Room to a slightly modified configuration from the study group's norm. She had to do it twice since the first time there was a bed off to the corner. Finally, she succeeded in getting their practice arena prepared she grabbed a random book off the shelf to see what would be best to start with. Paring down her Auror training to 'believably advanced' school levels was probably going to be difficult and she welcomed any help that the Room would be willing to provide.

Flipping open the book, Dora's fanciful thoughts were wiped from her mind as the text settled onto a page containing a perfect picture of the curse that started this entire thing. That black jagged line of lighting speared from the end of the wand in the display with the text 'Chest Crushing Curse' underneath. Swallowing on a suddenly very dry throat, Dora leaned on the wall and started to read.

_The CCC is a piece of Dark Magic that has generally fallen out of favor. This curse is designed to slowly crush the heart, lungs and stomach. It was a primary means of tortuous death for many years as it prolongs the agony of the victim for several minutes. Their heart is compressed forcing it to beat faster and harder; their lungs are squeezed enough to collapse one and enforce permanent shortness of breath; finally the stomach ruptures spilling its deadly contents into the chest cavity around the heart. The victim ends up dying as their own acid eats away their heart. Usage of this particular curse has diminished as many Dark Wizards choose instead to focus on more efficient methods of torture and death such as the Cruciatus and Avada Kedavra. Effective defenses of the CCC are minimal as counter-curses tend to be largely ineffective. The best defense is to avoid being struck. If the subject is hit, the primary recommendation is sedation and comfort to ease the passing._

"Dora? You okay?" The voice shot through her focus and Dora rocketed off the wall quick enough that her feet flew out from under her. Pinwheeling forward, Dora heard a grunt of pain just before she impacted with a set of soft, strong arms. The arms didn't succeed in halting her fall, though they _did_ end up cushioning it. Another grunt of pain escaped the boy under her as Dora landed square on his stomach groaning slightly.

"Ow…sorry, Harry…"

"Let me breathe and I'll forgive you," he mumbled with an amused lilt in his voice. "I should know better than to surprise you by this point." Dora shifted enough that her elbow left his stomach though she paused for a half second before moving further. Harry's arms just felt so…so…safe. It didn't help her motivation to stand up when he tightened his hold around her. "You okay? You looked pretty pale when I walked in. Usually you're a lot more observant than that too."

Dora succumbed to the temptation and leant her forehead on his chest with a soft sigh. "Found a really disturbing spell in one of the books. It just upset me a bit. I'll be fine. Thanks for catching my fall."

"It's only fair since you wouldn't have been falling if I hadn't startled you," he murmured. One hand left her back and reached up to softly stroke her hair. "I know how scary these things can get, Dora, but I promise I'm going to teach you and everyone else everything I know. I'm not an expert by any means…but I've survived three direct confrontations with Voldemort. Four if you count one where I was saved by a passing centaur. I had a ton of luck, but I have some ideas on how to get us able to survive long enough for help to arrive."

She fought the urge to whimper as his hand brushed her ear and her hands curled into his shirt. This wasn't right. _She_ was supposed to comfort _him_. "That's not what has me worried, Harry. It's…complicated."

"Well, I say you two should just kiss and get it over with. That takes a lot of the complication out of the picture," an amused feminine voice commented from above them. Dora twisted her head and glared up at the blonde's remark before she carefully stood and helped pull Harry to his feet after her.

Turning, Dora crossed her arms and glared at Daphne Greengrass. Tracey Davis stood next to the Slytherin grinning from ear to ear and a small gaggle of Gryffindors watched from further back with smirks and raised eyebrows. Neville was chuckling along with Luna and Ron and the Weasley twins were admirable in their restraint – grins aside, the lack of teasing comments were appreciated. The only one different from the norm was Hermione. The brunette's expression was basically unreadable though Dora swore she saw a flicker of sorrow flash across her face as she glanced back and forth between Harry and Dora with her arms crossed. It was a problem for another day.

"You should try taking your own advice, Greengrass," Dora said arching an eyebrow. "From what I hear, there would be far fewer issues between you and Davis if you'd just throw her into a broom closet every now and then."

Daphne smirked wider and waved away Dora's comment. "Your sources are outdated. Tracey is officially mine as of last week."

The Slytherin in question raised her eyebrows and coughed, blushing profusely. "Uh, Daph? Thought we were going to keep that quiet?"

Daphne shrugged and threw her arm out to indicate the rest of the room where a few more people were filing in. "We are in an illegal gathering of an illegal 'study club' working to learn illegal spells and techniques…illegally. They can't exactly tell anyone what they hear in here and a gesture of trust is warranted considering the mix of attendees."

" _Technically_ the _spells_ are not illegal," Hermione said primly stepping forward and picking up the book Dora had accidentally lobbed at Harry's head and placing it back on the shelf, her expression once more unreadable.

"Yeah, we're just not allowed to actually _learn_ them in Hogwarts anymore thanks to that _ching-wah tsao duh liou mahng_ [frog-humping son of a bitch]," Su Li commented settling against a suit of armor on the wall. "By the way, whoever came up with that tongue thing; it was brilliant work."

Hannah Abbott nodded. "I agree, though I would say the people behind it are starting to cut it a bit close now. If you're caught there might be repercussions beyond the school at this point."

Susan Bones shook her head and snorted. "Not likely. Not after the Azkaban breakout. Aunt Amelia was _livid_ when the Minister halted most of her security measures. Fudge can try to push through whatever charges he wants on us, but she has enough support against him now that she'd be able to avoid actually punishing anyone for going against the idiot or his local crony."

The mention of Azkaban threw yet more cold water onto her thoughts and Dora scowled. "Did we manage to stop _any_ of them from getting away?"

Susan's smile took on a predatory cant and Neville's answering grin mirrored it. "The brothers Lestrange were badly hurt. Moody tagged one and Auror Shacklebolt hit the other," the red-head said. "They also definitely managed to kill Travers." Dora's mouth twisted into a perfect reflection of the other two students. She may not have stopped the majority of the Death Eaters, but her warning had been able to make _some_ difference.

"Excellent. Better some than none," Dora said nodding. "Alright, enough gossip. We're here to learn to fight right? Harry you want to get this thing started and I'll walk around and help people where it's needed?"

Harry shrugged and stepped to the center of the room. "Sure. Okay everyone, you all know why we're doing this. Umbridge and Fudge might as well be wearing Voldemort badges for all the help they're giving the monster." He paused as the occupants shivered at his use of the name. Only Hermione and Dora didn't react. Harry's eyes narrowed when he continued, "Voldemort. _Voldemort. VOLDEMORT_! You all need to stop being afraid of his stupid name! That's lesson one. If you start shaking and quivering every time he's standing in front of you then you might as well hold your throat out for him and his people to slit right now. _Voldemort's_ real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle. He's the son of a witch and a Muggle."

"How do you know that?" Ernie Macmillian asked raising his hand. His tone was incredulous, but surprisingly not accusatory. Dora nodded in appreciation – the boy was seeking facts without coming to a decision prior. She'd have to keep an eye on him.

"Two primary means. One, the basilisk from our Second Year was controlled by a diary that Voldemort left behind when he was a teenager." Gasps sounded around the room and even Dora's head whipped around at that – hard enough she felt some of her vertebrae squeal in protest. _This_ was completely new information. That Harry, Ron and Hermione were so cavalier about it must mean that they had known all along…so Dumbledore knew too! And the old man hadn't bothered to tell the Order. Artifacts that could think…she'd never come across something like that before. This was…there was something deeper going on with that book than a simple enchantment.

Dora's expression darkened. Dumbledore should never have kept that information to himself. If Voldemort had access to magic that could imbue artifacts with representations of the Dark Lord himself that was something they needed to know. At minimum they needed to watch out for them. At best, they could figure out how the man had done it, track any others down and destroy them before there was more collateral damage. It would've been _something_ they could do – something more than simply tracking movements and trying to quietly speak to potential allies.

Harry had continued speaking while she mused. Shaking her head, Dora focused back into the conversation. "The names rearranged into 'I am Lord Voldemort'. He chose it himself. He told me about his parentage last year in the graveyard after he killed Cedric. He was too busy gloating about rising above his origins and marveling at how similar we started off that it didn't even seem to register that Pettigrew was there to hear everything too. He's probably lucky that the traitor is too much of a coward to risk telling any of the other Death Eaters. They'd all leave him for being a hypocrite."

"He's not a hypocrite, Harry," Hermione commented with a sigh. "That would imply he actually believes his own rhetoric. He's more than likely just using the purebloods as a means to an end. Voldemort's history repeatedly shows him as a power-hungry individual who cares little for anything beyond his own gain. I think it's fairly clear that he latched onto the group most suited to propel him to his end-goal. I'm sure he hates Muggles thanks to his father, but if he actually cares about differences in blood he would have been far more careful about wiping out pureblood families in the last war."

Harry shrugged. "Doesn't matter in the long run. The point is Voldemort is just a wizard like you or me. He's scary powerful, but he's not invincible and he makes mistakes too. In order to find those holes and either attack or run away though you need to be paying attention and not quaking just from looking at him or hearing his name." Harry smiled and Dora felt a burst of pride at how he was taking charge of this. She had no idea whether anything like this had happened the first time around, but she liked to think that she'd at least been able to give him this confidence. "So today you're all going to practice stunning each other and shielding. Hermione and Dora will help you with aim and spellwork. I'll be going around and whispering 'Voldemort' behind you just before you cast. We are going to keep this up until each and every one of you can cast your spells without flinching."

Dora chuckled. Harry was a mini Moody. This might actually turn out to be a bit of fun.

* * *

The DA meetings continued on in that vein for the remaining weeks of the term. Harry had managed to break most of the members from their flinching after just two sessions. She knew it helped that his continued breathing was living proof of Voldemort's fallibility. Once the basic stunning, reviving and disarming spells had been perfected they'd moved onto bigger and better things. Dora hadn't been able to use some of the harsher spells she'd been taught, but she _had_ been able to pass off some of the more effective area of effect spells as 'I was taught a bit different in the Coven.'

She'd also been able to surreptitiously direct Hermione towards several items that were a bit higher level. Passing herself off as a 'quick study' was surprisingly easy once she started to embrace her clumsy nature and allowed herself to trip and fall while 'practicing'. It helped that Harry tended to hover close by while she was attempting those types of spells. She still refused to allow herself to examine her conflicting emotions around the Boy-Who-Lived, but she wasn't above letting him catch her when she fell.

Umbridge had upped the ante in her efforts to track down her tormentors. She'd taken to issuing Educational Decrees forbidding students from being within 6 inches of each other or gathering in groups of three or more. It was rather entertaining actually. Hermione had taken to getting her ruler out in class and with Neville's help they shifted all of the desks in every room to accommodate the new rules in addition to marking off specific seating sections during meals. Dora had submitted a complaint that she could no longer study in the library because the desks for reviewing the material were out of compliance and couldn't be adjusted to seat just two people at a time. Ron went to McGonagall with questions about how he was supposed to stay in the Common Room when there were already two students on the couch.

Needless to say, both decrees were forcibly rescinded upon numerous Howlers reaching the ears of the school board – and supposedly Fudge himself. Dora's only regret was not getting to personally see or hear those letters…

Things were close to coming to a head. Dora saw the cracks spreading in the Toad. It was only a matter of time now. Every step she took to contain the attacks on herself and the school caused the resistance against her to grow. Dora was fairly certain that most of the staff was now aware of just who was responsible, but with Peeves' help they'd been able to avoid ever being in the area when the 'pranks' triggered. Soon, Dora could get the woman to hit her limit…soon…then at least one problem would be taken care of permanently.

"You guys go ahead," Dora panted as she wiped her brow. DA practice had taken a lot out of her today. It never used to be this hard to produce a Patronus…she'd also never heard of a Patronus changing before yet now hers was apparently a lioness. She had _no_ _idea_ when or how that had happened! It didn't help that it'd taken her until the last five minutes of the session to get the darn thing to become corporeal. Even Tracey and Hannah had been able to get their Patroni before she did. That was…well that was just incredibly frustrating.

Harry paused halfway to the door and looked back. "You sure? I can wait around for a few and…"

"You go, Harry," Luna commented lightly. She smiled at him and started pushing him towards the door out. "Women problems. Hermione can explain. Or I can. Later though. Not right now. Bye!" A thoroughly confused Harry Potter was summarily pushed out of the door to the Room and it sealed behind him. Luna twirled to face Dora and put her small hands on her hips quirking her mouth into an expression somewhere between amusement and concern. "So, what's wrong?"

"Huh?" Dora blinked a few times trying to figure out how Luna Lovegood had just manhandled Harry and what her goal was.

"The room is empty. It's just you and me. As I set the Room for today's practice I can change the parameters; I've ensured that it cannot be entered by anyone else nor can any listening charms pierce through the enchantments." She paused and cocked her head before shrugging. "There are some Largos floating in the corners as well which I've found tend to only congregate in areas that have active avoidance wards. That's an interesting coincidence now that I think of it…I'll have to do some research on that later…" Shaking her head Luna seemed to refocus on Dora and marched forward to sit down in front of the metamorph with her legs crossed and her hands folded in her lap. "Tell me what you were having trouble with this afternoon?"

The doe-eyed look that Luna directed up to her was simply adorable and yet again Dora found herself cursing Luna's ability to get what she wanted from those who liked her. " _Fine_. I…ugh, I couldn't make the Patronus work."

"Many of us had that problem. You certainly weren't alone."

"Yeah, but you guys are all teenagers trying to do a spell beyond N.E.W.T. level. I'm an ex-Auror doing a spell that I've done for years! It shouldn't have been so hard!"

Luna nodded and patted the ground beside her. "And yet it was. Why was that?"

Dora scowled. "If I knew that I wouldn't have had problems."

"I think you understand perfectly why you had issues. A Patronus requires a happy memory, yes?"

"Of course. That's the entire basis of the spell!"

"And what were you thinking when you first started trying to cast it today?"

Dora's scowl deepened and she collapsed down next to Luna staring resolutely at one of the practice dummies with long black hair. "I was seeing Bella cast that blasted curse at him. Again and again, every single damn time. And when I finally managed to get _that_ particular image out of my head I saw Hermione laying on the ground or my cousin getting knocked through the bloody Veil or Ginny stuck inside a group of those monsters…That last one didn't even _happen_ for all I know!"

Luna patted Dora's knee and smiled at her. "It sounds like you were trying to cast an Anti-Patronus. That would create some difficulties I imagine. You must have switched to trying for the regular version at some point though. What did you think of when you got the lioness?"

Dora flushed and let her hair switch to a neutral pink. "Um…it's kind of embarrassing. And really bad…"

"Well we are girls. We're supposed to gossip right?"

The innocent tone had Dora almost involuntarily chuckling. "I guess we are huh? I was remembering how it felt when Harry caught me after I fell that first real meeting. It was…it was nice."

"A very good choice. He seems to have strong arms and safe hands. I wonder if Ronald would feel that good too…" Luna shrugged and smiled. "Well that's a question for another day. We're talking about your future lover now!"

"Future lover! No! No, no, no, no, _no_!" Dora scowled and crossed her arms. "I _can't_! He's fifteen!"

"And how old are you?"

"I'm sixte- I'm twenty three!"

Luna's smile widened. "You sounded a little confused there for a moment. The hufflepinks have nearly all left you. I think you might be more sixteen than you are twenty three now."

"Arg! I don't need this right now!" Dora threw her hands into the air and collapsed back onto the floor. "I have far too much to worry about. The holidays are coming up too and I just _know_ there is something major that I am forgetting. I don't need this sort of drama!"

"It's not drama if it's important," Luna commented softly. She stood up and started to head for the door. "Don't get so focused on your mission that you forget to live your life, Dora Kirk. You have a second chance. Not many of us get that opportunity. Don't forget that. Have a pleasant evening."

The door shut behind her leaving Dora to her thoughts. Scowling she pushed up from the floor. Harry could wait. She had to figure out what had happened during the winter hols before she missed her chance to stop it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Much thanks to RhysThornbery for his beta assistance on this.
> 
> I rather dislike that JKR made the official Goblin language Gobbledegook. Every time I read it I cringe; it just strikes me as simultaneously, cliché and horrifically demeaning to the Goblins. So don't expect that to pop up again in this story. Okay, I'm off my high horse now.
> 
> I do think Ron can be a good, decent guy if he thinks before talking/acting. I like to think that my method of improving this angle of his character is somewhat realistic. Thoughts?
> 
> I apologize if I butchered the Chinese insult. I did my best to get something sort of related to frogs/toads. It really says something about the popularity of Firefly when half the first page of results for Chinese swears are related to that show.
> 
> \/\/\/\/
> 
> Mad-Eye's Rules For Successfully Reaching Retirement:
> 
> Rule 40: Never discount a potential ally. If you don't act like a villain turncoats will be more loyal than your own men.
> 
> \/\/\/\/
> 
> Fic Recommendation: "Constants and Variables" by Azmodai. This is a crossover with Bioshock Infinite (with uncertain pairings for the future). In this story Harry stumbles across a comatose/trapped Elizabeth while running from Dudley just before getting his letter. McGonagall and (a young!) Babbling stumble across them leading to Harry accidentally freeing Elizabeth and receiving a measure of her ability in the process. She resolves to stay by him in an effort to help him and also see just what the Lutece twins are cryptically referring to regarding Harry being a constant. It's just recently finished First Year and is very good with only minor spelling/grammar errors that don't detract from the story. One comment for those familiar with Bioshock Infinite, this Elizabeth is from after the Burial at Sea DLC though how exactly she's still around hasn't been truly addressed yet. (Or at least it hasn't as of Chapter 10 which is where I am at.)


	5. Harry Potter, Exit Stage Left

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This chapter ended up being too large to cover all of winter break so it's being split.

**Chapter 5: Harry Potter, Exit Stage Left**

Dora woke with a crick in her neck and a decidedly surly attitude. She'd been racking her brain for hours in the night trying to remember the details of the winter hols. She knew _something_ had happened in Hogwarts and that it had caused major waves around the grounds, but that hadn't really affected the Aurors and the Order had mostly continued business as usual – meaning more guarding a stupid door for some idiotic reason. A simple missive to Croaker would've had the Department of Mysteries under 24 hour surveillance.

_Rule 4: Common Sense. Muggles have it. So should we. We don't. Strive to get some._

How had she never thought to question Dumbledore before? She remembered bringing it up once, but he'd seemed so _sure_ that the Unspeakables couldn't handle it. Well that had certainly bit them all in the arse. Dung couldn't be trusted, three of their own had been attacked, Harry had slipped through without any difficulties followed shortly by an entire group of Death Eaters…Dora's scowl deepened. Padding into the bathroom she glared at her reflection. "I will _not_ be star-struck anymore. I _will_ follow my instincts. No matter where they lead. Or who I have to push to the side in the process."

"Good advice," Lavender commented with an easy smile as she walked out of the shower section and put her bag on the next sink. Dora suppressed a groan. She was losing her edge; hadn't even checked to make sure the bathroom was empty before venting. God she was tired. "If I may, you don't really seem star-struck by anyone. Not that I've seen at least. You kinda stick to Harry like glue, but so does Hermione. And you're a bit mean to almost everyone else including the teachers."

"I'm _mean_?" Dora asked gaping at the other girl.

Lavender shrugged. "I get it. Most of the people you know were killed by a madman, the government are being arses and denying that it happened, Harry was nice to you…Most of us don't mind and you've gotten a lot mellower since the DA started up, but…yeah, you're a bit brusque if our names aren't Harry, Hermione or Luna. Heck you even seem to avoid Hermione more than I would expect considering your circles."

Dora frowned and leaned back against the sink for several moments before replying. "I…didn't realize that. I've been a bit, well distracted I guess. I'll try to be more inclusive with you guys."

"Don't change on my account," Lavender said touching up her lipstick. "You don't see me and Parv gossiping less because people glare at us do you?"

"Still, I haven't intended to be mean. I just was scared when I got here and then I saw Harry being…"

"Emo?"

Dora snorted and shook her head. "Not the word I was going for, but sure lets go with that. I just want to make sure he survives this year with his head on straight considering half the bloody country seems to be out to get him."

"Welcome to Hogwarts! The castle where the students dance for your every whim one moment and throw food at you the next!" Lavender replied with a pose. She sighed and puffed her hair up a bit with a spell before gathering her supplies. "He really should've gone to Beauxbatons, less drama for a national hero in a foreign country. I'll see you at breakfast, Dora."

Dora sighed and finished her morning routine trying to process what the other Gryffindor had said. She knew she'd been a bit short with some of the students, but she'd never meant to be actively mean. Helping Harry wouldn't mean squat if he still wound up alone and isolated except for her, Hermione, Ron and a few choice friends. Dora would have to try and make more inroads among the rest of her classmates. Yet _another_ thing to do…perfect.

She was still half scowling as she walked into the Common Room and ground to a halt midstep. The entirety of the boys side was clustered near the fireplace talking loudly and gesturing to the few girls that had come down already. Only bits and snippets made it through the noise to her ears, but it was enough.

"Gone when we woke up – "

"Screaming like bloody murder he was – "

"McGonagall got them from our room – "

"Yeah, Ginny's gone too – "

 _ **ARTHUR!**_ Dora's fist flew into the wall beside her and she let out a primal roar. " _FUCK!_ " Several heads turned towards her, but she didn't pay them any attention. Arthur had been attacked just before the hols. _That's_ what had happened! She's completely forgotten that the Weasleys and Harry had been brought to – brought to – brought to… _FUCK_!

The Fidelius was apparently in full force around her again.

"Dora?" Hermione asked padding over to the metamorph and laying a hand on her shoulder. "They'll be fine. I already spoke with Professor McGonagall…there was an incident last night with Mr. Weasley. Ginny and the boys were allowed to go and make certain he's alright."

Dora could only grind her teeth and force her Occlumency to the forefront as she tried to suppress everything she was feeling regarding this situation and how utterly screwed she had just become. "Room. Now. We need to talk without being overheard."

"But class starts in…" Hermione trailed off and sighed. "You're right. We should discuss this as I doubt any of them will return prior to next term. It's potions anyway so we'd just have to listen to Professor Snape claiming Harry was getting more special treatment. Come on."

Dora focused on keeping her hair a single shade as she dutifully walked behind Hermione. They reached the Room of Requirement in record time and as soon as the door shut Dora rounded on the brunette. "You know where they are."

"I do. I can't say unfortunately, but I can assure you they are completely safe."

"Safe like Harry was safe when attacked by Dementors?" Dora asked with a derisive snort. She knew that was an unfair question, but it leant the rest of what she'd have to say more weight. "Safe like he is with those monsters he calls relatives? Safe? How about safe from himself?"

Hermione frowned for a moment before her eyes narrowed and her lips twitched. "Safe from himself? Just _what_ is that supposed to mean, Theodora Kirk?"

"You know bloody well what I mean, Hermione!" Dora growled. She curled her hands into her hair and let out a frustrated groan. "We both know that McGonagall wouldn't have let Harry go with the Weasleys unless he was involved in some way. That means this is related to Voldemort which also means that it's probably some sort of psychic attack since everyone seemed to agree that Harry was in his bed last night until whatever happened, happened. He's _going_ to blame himself for this! I like the Weasleys but if their dad has been hurt they aren't going to care enough to pull him out of his funk. He's going to sit there and stew all by himself for the entirety of the hols, Hermione! Even assuming this 'safe' location is truly secure, he's going to be his own worst enemy. By the time either of us see him again he's going to be so bottled up, he'd probably end up killing Umbridge or Malfoy at their next verbal diarrhea episode and then where would we be?"

Hermione turned around with an explosive sigh and marched to the nearby couch plopping down with her arms crossed. Dora shut her eyes and tried to force herself to calm down before sitting across from Hermione. The brunette witch slowly shook her head and responded quietly. "I understand you're worried, Dora. Don't you think I am too? I know him better than almost anyone else in either of the worlds we tread in. McGonagall wouldn't tell me much, only that Mr. Weasley had been hurt bad...And Harry had let her know." She shook her head and continued slowly, "And as much as it pains me to admit it, I think you may be right about Harry and how he will take this." She paused and chewed on her lip. "However, you're also incorrect in that he'll be left alone to sink into self-hatred for the entire break. I'll be able to convince my parents to cancel our ski trip. If Harry is in trouble I'll be there to make sure to drag him out any depression he's in shortly after I can get off the Express."

"That's not enough, Hermione," Dora said shaking her head. "You need to take me to him too. I know how to knock some sense into that guy's skull."

Hermione's scowl returned though it quickly faded into a stony, blank expression. "I have been friends with him far longer than you, Dora. I understand him just as well as you; if not better." She remained silent long enough for Dora to start fidgeting, before her expression seemed to ease a bit. Finally, Hermione continued in a soft voice, eyes cast downwards at her hands clasped in her lap. "And yet, you have seemed to inspire and comfort him far easier and quicker than I ever have. I doubt I would have been able to get him to see McGonagall about Umbridge on my own and I would have had to twist his arm to get him teaching our group. I wish I understood _why_ he listens to you so easily and why you seem to _care so much_. This is more than simple attraction. If that were truly enough to reach him than I'd have…" she murmured trailing off.

Hermione shook her head and stood to pace around the seating area. "Even if I agreed with you it doesn't matter! You can't get to him! I _can't_ tell you where he is nor can I bring you there!"

"Fidelius right?"

Hermione barked out a rueful laugh. "Of course you'd guess it. Yes, a Fidelius. And Dumbledore is Secret Keeper. You can't get in without him approving of you and considering how our efforts have begun skirting moral lines with Umbridge he'll never agree with your request!"

Dora shrugged. She'd gotten Harry's best friend on her side. Now it was just semantics. "We still need to ask him. Frame it correctly and he'll be sure to agree. It's not like I can be a secret Death Eater!"

Hermione stopped her pacing and turned her head to stare at Dora for several seconds. Dora felt a few shivers run down her back as a decidedly dangerous, _determined_ gleam entered the younger woman's eyes and Hermione's mouth lifted into a frightening smile. "That's true. Allow me to make a suggestion to improve this idea? Also, let _me_ do all the talking. You're good for Harry and we're getting you into that house. One way…or another."

* * *

The door to the Headmaster's office opened and admitted a determined student and professor into the spacious abode of the head of the Order of the Phoenix. Dumbledore blinked up at the newcomers from behind his desk with a small smile gracing his lips though the customary twinkle was not present. "Ah Miss Granger, good morning. I expected to see you sometime today though I admit I had thought you would be attending classes before stopping by. You allowed her a pass, Minerva?"

"I did, Albus," Professor McGonagall said with a stiff nod. "This is important and Miss Granger deserves to be heard. I rather doubt that Professor Snape will mind her missing his course for one day."

"Severus might disagree," Dumbledore commented with a chuckle. "I assume this has to do with the absence of Misters Weasley and Potter?"

"It does, Professor," Hermione said. She stood up as straight as she could, squaring her shoulders and taking a deep breath. She cast a careful eye at the portraits on the walls before stating, "Sir, we _need_ to give her access."

"We need to give who access, Miss Granger?" Dumbledore asked cocking his head to the side in query.

"I've already spoken with Professor McGonagall and she agrees. It's the right thing to do," Hermione continued.

McGonagall sighed and nodded her head clasping her hands behind her back. "I believe she's right, Albus. The girl should be let in. They are all good for each other and they need their friends now more than ever."

"Let into what exactly?" Dumbledore's head recentered though his eyebrows had scrunched down as if staring into a particularly difficult puzzle.

Hermione again looked to the pictures and narrowed her eyes at them before turning to Dumbledore and whispering. "You know, Sir…the… _place_ …"

"Ah!" Dumbledore exclaimed lifting a finger into the air in triumph. "The Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix!"

"Yes!" Hermione said again looking to the portraits as she only now seemed to notice that they were not moving. "I didn't want to say…paintings have ears and there could be spies anywhere…"

Dumbledore chuckled. "Some caution is always a good idea, Miss Granger, but I would advise you to avoid taking it to extremes as Professor Moody has done in the past. I usually freeze the portraits when I expect a sensitive conversation and you can be assured that there are no turncoats among this group. Not with the enchantments upon the school or office. Now, who exactly are we speaking of?" he finished clapping his hands together with his grin returned and a small hint of a gleam in his eyes.

"Well, Sir…just to be clear…you can grant access to Headquarters as Secret Keep right? Like you've granted it to the both of us?" Hermione asked hesitantly as she swung her arm to encompass herself and McGonagall.

"Of course, Miss Granger. That _is_ how the charm works after all," he said chuckling. "I expect you've thoroughly researched it by now."

"And Number 12 Grimmauld Place is completely secure?" Hermione asked wringing her hands.

The Headmaster nodded. "I assure you, there is nowhere more secure than under a Fidelius Charm. It is perfectly safe at Number 12 Grimmauld Place."

Hermione's expression briefly morphed into a scowl before she dropped back to a neutral mask. "Well honestly I would dispute your claim because then Harry would've been under a Fidelius for his childhood instead of with those horrid relatives, but we aren't here to discuss that. We're here to convince you to let her into Headquarters."

Dumbledore spread his arms wide and laughed. "My dear, I admit to still being utterly unsure of just who we are speaking of!"

Hermione froze, blinked several times and then thrust a hand to her mouth with a gasp. "Oh my! I'm so sorry Professor! I didn't realize I'd forgotten the most important bit! It's Dora Kirk. The transfer student. She needs to be granted access, Sir. Harry needs to see her during the holidays."

Dumbledore frowned and let his hands drop into a clasped position on the table top. "I am certain that young Miss Kirk can wait until the start of term to see her friend again. I cannot just let anyone into Headquarters. I'm surprised you would go along with this, Minerva." He turned an exhausted gaze onto McGonagall and shook his head. "You know that we must carefully research every person who is granted access. This is a delicate situation and if we are not careful a spy could easily enter our ranks again."

McGonagall scowled and stepped forward pointing a finger at Dumbledore. "You know perfectly well that we did not check half of the new members as well as we should have! Hestia Jones has an uncle that joined the Death Eaters not one week before we inducted her into the Order! Exceptions are made at all levels, Albus. The girl is a large part of Potter's support network and considering the events of last night I feel it best she be allowed to speak with him!" the professor said with a hint of Scottish brogue coloring her accent.

Dumbledore just sighed again and shook his head as he turned towards the phoenix on its perch. "Certainly, he can rely on you for two weeks, Miss Granger? It is not so long a time I think."

Hermione blinked rapidly as moisture accumulated at the corners of her eyes. She ran a hand along her eyes before replying. "Professor I am his best friend. But…but I am no longer the one he turns to first. I am no longer the one who he searches out to discuss his problems. I am no longer the one able to comfort or calm him best. You need to let Dora see him or I worry that he will not be in a good mental position upon his return despite any efforts I take over the hols."

Dumbledore was silent for nearly a minute as he stared at his desk. Finally with a heavy, sorrow-filled sigh, he shook his head. Looking up, the other two could see a single tear coursing down his cheek. "I am truly sorry, but I simply cannot take the chance. Perhaps had Miss Kirk been from a location that we could easily verify her story things would be different, but as it stands the risk is too great. You will simply have to make do, Miss Granger."

Hermione's lips quivered and her teeth bared as her hands clenched into fists. She glared at the Headmaster hard enough that the man started to subtly fidget and for a moment they all thought his robes might literally burst into flames. "You honestly think she's compromised? That she's a _spy_? That she works for _bloody Voldemort?!_ You fool! She's had dozens of opportunities to kill him with no one else the wiser! She's skilled enough to do it too! _I'm_ skilled enough to do it and Barty Crouch Jr. proved last year that I can't resist the Imperious curse! _I'm_ more of a threat to Harry than _she_ is! You're a fool Headmaster and it's no wonder that Harry has been losing faith in you this year! Between Umbridge, Fudge and _this_?! Good luck to you, Sir. I hope you find your way back to rationality before it is too late."

With her piece said, Hermione turned on her heel and stormed out of the office. McGonagall watched her for a second and shook her head before turning to follow. "Minerva, wait," Dumbledore said softly. McGonagall paused but did not look back. "I am correct am I not? Harry's safety _must_ take priority. We cannot be certain that the girl is entirely who she claims. There is simply no way to verify her identity without resorting to Legilimency or veritaserum…"

"Then perhaps you should have offered those options instead of simply dismissing us, Albus," McGonagall said with a sigh. "You have made decisions on your own for too long. You should allow others to have some input again before things take a turn for the disastrous. Good day, Albus. Let us not speak of this until both of our heads have had a chance to cool."

* * *

McGonagall walked out of the Headmaster's office and proceeded immediately to the Room of Requirement. She had no sooner closed the door then she threw both hands into the air and whooped, twirling in a circle. "I can't believe that _worked_!" McGonagall shouted. "Hermione you are a Merlin-be-damned _genius_!"

"Can you please shift back, Dora? It is…unsettling watching Professor McGonagall cavort around like a little girl…" Hermione groaned with two fingers rubbing her brow from the couch nearby. Without losing her grin, the visage of Minerva McGonagall slowly melted away, leaving Dora Kirk in its place – with robes nearly a size-and-a-half too large. Dora took a quick glance at her robes and with a shrug cast a resizing charm on them before plopping down into the seat next to Hermione and throwing an arm around her friend.

"You were brilliant, Mione! Utterly brilliant!"

"You know we don't learn that charm until the end of next year…" Hermione murmured. Shaking her head she sent a small grin to Dora. "You were quite good yourself. I thought that that second speech was impeccably well done. Did you remember to ensure he didn't speak with the Professor until after we leave in the morning?"

"Yeah, we should be fine," Dora said waving her hand in dismissal. "Where'd you come up with that last rant? And that stuff about Harry not turning to you? It all sounded so…so _real_!"

Hermione uttered a watery laugh and leaned against Dora's shoulder. "That's because it was. Harry has looked to you before me for some time now. I…I haven't taken that well and I think I owe you an apology. I can't give it, not yet. I will though." Dora frowned and pulled the brunette closer. "And what I shouted before I left was…entirely true. He is blind now…I just don't understand how one so great, so powerful, so _respected_ could be so utterly convinced that he cannot accept any council but his own!? It's…I became a Gryffindor because I wanted to be like him…"

Dora sighed and squeezed the other girl hard. "First off, you don't owe me anything. I haven't meant to steal your best friend, Hermione. I just want to see him safe and happy like you do. And don't stress yourself out about Dumbledore. He does seem to mean well. He's just been right so often for so long that he…he seems to be having some serious issues recognizing that his way hasn't worked this time. We'll fix it on our own and _make_ him listen to us."

Hermione nodded into Dora's shoulder. "We will have to. It did work though? You know the location of the Order of the Phoenix?"

"The Headquarters for Order of the Phoenix is at Number 12 Grimmauld Place," Dora said with an ear-splitting grin. "I thought the Fidelius secret had to be delivered explicitly word for word in order to let someone in. I can't believe we were able to circumvent it like that."

"Magic is all about intent," Hermione said with another small shrug. "The words, wands and rituals are simply to help one focus. Otherwise wandless magic or silent casting would never work. We simply had to get Dumbledore thinking of divulging the secret of the location of Headquarters to those present in the room. Magic would interpret that as the Secret Keeper divulging the information. Had he agreed to actually let 'Dora Kirk' in instead of just 'Hermione Granger and the woman beside her' it would have just been icing on the cake…That was my theory after all…I'm…perhaps I should go into research when this is over…"

"Definitely a good idea, Mione." Dora gave her friend one more squeeze before settling back into the couch. "So do you want to go to History or stay here for a little while?"

"Can we just stay? For a little bit?" Hermione asked softly. "I…I need to come to terms with losing my role model and…I simply don't feel up to dealing with Binns right now."

Dora nodded and kicked her feet up. "Sure. We can stay as long as you want, Hermione."

* * *

The train ride to London was one of the longest Dora had ever experienced. The entire time she was shifting positions and glancing at the door of the cabin just waiting for someone to come rushing in to prevent her from storming Grimmauld. Hermione wasn't all that much better though she hid it well behind her normal habits. The secret was pretty clear to anyone observant though. Having only progressed five pages in three hours tends to showcase one's lack of focus.

As the train _finally_ pulled into the station Dora shot to her feet and practically dragged Hermione behind her as they rushed off the train. "Dora wait! I don't know how to get there via the tube; we need to drive so we need to meet up with my – Mum! Dad!" Hermione broke off mid-thought and hurried forward to engulf both parents in a strong hug. Dora stood to the side blinking rapidly to clear her eyes and ignore that her own mum and dad were unlikely to ever hug her like that again.

"This is my friend, the one I told you about in the letters."

"Oh the Retaliation Prankster huh?" Robert Granger said with an easy grin and small chuckle. Dora raised an eyebrow at his title. Apparently Hermione hadn't been exaggerating when she'd described her parents as 'somewhat more interesting than your average dentist' on the train. "Pleasure to meet you dear."

"It's nice to meet Hermione's parents as well, sir," Dora replied shaking his hand. She turned to Mary Granger and lightly hugged the older woman. "I'm sorry that your ski trip was cancelled."

Mary waved it off and started to direct the group towards the platform exit. "It's not a big deal. We would've liked to spend some more time with our daughter, but we understand that the current environment makes that difficult if things come up."

Hermione sighed. "I promise, we'll do something fun this summer, Mum. Thanks for agreeing to drive us. We can't use the Floo and it's another few months before I can apparate."

 _Legally at least_. Dora thought with a snort. More time wasted when she could've just jumped right over there once out of sight. That would have been rather hard to explain though so she was stuck with the slow way. Being young sucked.

The drive passed quickly and while they Grangers caught up, most of the conversation flew right over Dora's head. She was too focused on watching the houses fly by. Everything looked so different when not on a broom…she'd have to get a bike at some point when things settled down…

"Grimm something right?" Robert asked as she slowed the car just past the new intersection. "I think this is it…Grimmold?"

"Grimmauld," Dora commented distractedly as she checked mail boxes. This was the moment of truth and it was either going to be a huge victory or a crushing defeat if…An instant later the space between Numbers 11 and 13 expanded and a decrepit house appeared as if from nothing. "Hah! Suck on _that_ lemon drop old man!"

Laughter from the front seat accompanied Dora's outburst. "Guess it's the right place. You kids want out here?"

"Yes, Daddy. Thanks again for the ride. I'll call you in a day or two alright?"

"That's fine, sweetheart." Mary smiled into the backseat and reached out to gently hug her daughter. "Just make sure your friend is okay and please do try to relax at least a little. It is almost Christmas and New Years after all!"

"Yes, Mum," Hermione said rolling her eyes. The car came to a stop and she gave her father a short hug before turning to Dora. "Last chance to avoid the storm you'll dredge up by going inside."

Dora shook her head and continued to stare up at the window to the third floor. Harry had claimed…which one had he barricaded himself into for a few days?

With an exasperated sigh Hermione leaned over and opened Dora's door pushing her out before following behind. "Have a happy hol guys! Come on, let's get this over with. Cross your fingers Sirius answers. If it's Mrs. Weasley we might as well turn around and head back to the car."

"Or we just stun her and let her rant later." Dora almost winced as her brain caught up with her mouth. Talk about almost spilling the beans there. She needed to focus more and stop letting the situation break her character or concentration.

"I would rather like to avoid stunning a respected member of my extended family," Hermione commented. She grinned sheepishly as they passed through the gates and headed towards the front door. "Even if I do want to either knock her out or gag her myself every once in awhile."

Dora reached the entrance first and she carefully twisted the handle and pushed it open. When the latch gave way Dora was left staring at the open door held in her hands. _That_ wasn't supposed to happen. The house only responded to active members of the Black family…

_Rule 122: You can look a gift horse in the mouth, but be prepared to be flattened by the fist flying out of its gullet._

"Deal with that later," Dora murmured shaking her head and stepping inside. Hermione followed behind and quickly shut the door. Dora started walking forward not lifting her eyes from the Evil Troll Leg Stand. The thing had a personal vendetta against her. Nonliving piece of stationary furniture aside, that troll leg always did its level best to have her break her neck. Not this time. _This_ time Dora was going to avoid it. This time she was going to –

Sirius rounded the corner and smiled, waving to Hermione before he caught sight of Dora and cocked his head to the side. Dora just drew in a breath for her prepared 'Take me to Harry, nothing interesting here speech' when the return of _**EVIL**_ made itself known. " _OH COME ON!_ " she shouted from the floor scowling at the monstrous creature rolled to a stop. Her hands were aching something fierce from catching her fall and Evil was lying just beyond their spread-eagle position.

That Troll Leg Stand was not going to survive the night.

"Sorry about that," Sirius commented reaching down and helping to pull her to her feet. "I keep meaning to throw it on the rubbish bin and keep forgetting…Also it's incredibly hilarious since my cousin seems to aim to trip on it every time she's here. Gotta keep some levity in this miserable place," he finished with a shake of his head and his eyes cast towards the floor.

His miserable expression was the only thing that helped her manage to keep the snarl from crossing her features. _I_ knew _he kept that thing in the hallway on purpose!_ Taking a deep breath Dora forced her annoyance down and tried to smile at him. It came off more like a grimace. "No problem. We're here to see Harry."

Sirius' eyes cast briefly upwards before he turned back to Dora and Hermione frowning. "I figured. We shouldn't talk here; it's a miracle my mother hasn't woken up yet. Come on." Turning Sirius padded back down the hallway with the girls following.

"I swear this house is even more gloomy than during the summer," Hermione muttered. "How they expect that poor man to stay here all alone is simply astounding."

Dora could only nod. Memories of her cousin falling backwards through the Veil assaulted her. Of course he'd run to help Harry once they heard. He'd probably been going crazy sitting here with just Kreacher and that evil portrait. How he hadn't gone on a one-man Death Eater raid beforehand was the miracle.

They stepped into the library and Sirius shut the door behind them leaning against it with crossed arms. His wand wasn't out, but his hand was visibly close to it as he stared at Dora. "So. Who are you?"

"Sirius, this is Dora Kirk," Hermione said planting herself between Dora and the old Marauder. "I don't know if Harry ever had a chance to mention her prior to slowing down our letters, but she transferred to Hogwarts this year. She's one of our best friends. When we heard about the attack on Mr. Weasley we knew Harry wouldn't take it well and we needed to come and make sure he was alright."

"Where is he?" Dora asked softly. "I understand needing to read me the riot act and vet us, but can we please do that afterwards?"

"Dora huh? My cousin sometimes lets me call her that if she's feeling particularly nice. Small world." Sirius looked from Hermione to Dora and slowly unfolded his arms letting them drop to rest inside his pockets. "I should've called you first, Hermione. I thought I might be able to fix things myself you know? Haven't had much luck. If you girls think you can help, please feel free because Remus and I are at a loss and Molly is just making it worse. He's in Buckbeak's room on the third floor. Won't come out. Won't even open the door. I've been leaving his meals outside the door and just taking away the empty plates."

Hermione grimaced and shook her head. "Dammit Harry…I should've let you convince me to leave last night, Dora. Come on. Let's go knock some sense back into the boy."

"He's a boy, they don't come equipped with sense. The smart ones just listen to us because they know _we_ do," Dora commented with a small grin. She was here, Sirius was here, Harry was here and Hermione was here. She could fix this.

She could save all three of them.

* * *

The knock on the door to Buckbeak's room went unanswered. Dora cast an annoyed glare at the sign saying _Regulus Arcturus Black_ hanging in the center. "Harry! Hermione and I did not drag our cute little butts halfway across the country for you to ignore us! Open up!"

There was a scrambling sound and a dull thud followed by a loud curse before the latch was flipped and the door thrown open. Dora stared at the young man on the other side trying to keep her hair pink despite the shock of his appearance. He had some stubble on his chin, his hair was worse than usual, there were some feathers sticking to his pants and his face was drawn and gaunt. It looked like he hadn't been sleeping in a week instead of just the two days. "Dora? Hermione? Hermione, aren't you supposed to be on a ski trip? Dora, how'd you _get_ here?! Dumbledore actually agreed to let you come?"

Hermione winced and wiped a hand down her face. "After a fashion. The Headmaster was…quite adamant about not trusting her. So we tricked him instead. Now are you going to stand aside and let us in so we can talk or are you going to keep this conversation going in the hallway?"

"You. Tricked _Dumbledore_?!" Harry gaped at the brunette for several long moments before beginning to chuckle. The chuckle quickly morphed into full blown laughter which soon changed into an even more raucous noise as he grabbed his sides and shook with his mirth. "Hermione Jane Granger, we are a _horrible_ influence on you!" the boy finally managed to wheeze out between laughs.

Dora just raised an eyebrow at him and after a moment shrugged. "I agree. We're bad for your perfect record, Hermione. Though I can't deny you're far better at the cunning and deviousness than I would've expected. You go girl!"

Hermione blushed and wrung her hands. "I'd really rather not discuss that at the moment."

Harry managed to reign in his laughter and stepped to the side waving the girls into the room. Both walked in and after exchanging bows with Buckbeak sat down in a circle close enough to the hippogriff so all three could pet his feathers. "So," Dora commented nodding to Harry's clothes, "you badly need to either sleep or shower it seems. Probably both."

Harry shrugged. "I've been avoiding the Weasleys. _Scourgify_ charms work fine for now."

Hermione shook her head and narrowed her eyes. "Harry Potter that is not sufficient. You are in a house with running water. You will go shower and then we will talk."

"But didn't you just?" Harry started before being cut off by Dora jabbing a finger into his chest.

"Shower mister. Now. We can wait to tell you you're an idiot for another fifteen minutes."

Harry stared between the two girls before sighing and getting back up. "I will never understand girls," he muttered. Grabbing a towel from a pile of things near the door, he walked out leaving Hermione and Dora alone with Buckbeak.

Dora gently stroked the large creature waiting until she could hear the rushing of water in the pipes from across the hall. She and Hermione sat in silence for another few minutes before she asked, "Keeping him off balance?"

"Routine mostly," Hermione said with a shrug. "The first step to convincing him he is normal is to make him _feel_ normal."

Dora shook her head. "But he's not normal, Hermione. He's amazing and noble to a fault, but he's not exactly normal and he's never going to be."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean he has to feel alone."

"That is _not_ what I said. I just said we shouldn't try to convince him he's completely the same as everyone else when it's not true." Dora grimaced. "We can comfort him and make sure that we help him figure out what's going on, but we can't lie to him."

"I wasn't going to suggest we do." Hermione shrugged and reached out to squeeze Dora's thigh. "I'm sorry; I know that you are sensitive over the normality thing as well. We all are to a degree. Between my intelligence, your abilities and Harry's fame, none of us are ever going to be _normal_ per se."

The door opened and Harry walked in with water still dripping from his hair. "Good to know I'm surrounded by people just as strange as me," he commented. The tone was flippant, but Dora caught the tension around his eyes and neck that belied the sentiment's undercurrent.

"Harry, like it or not, you're tied up in this. Don't give it more power than it deserves. Whatever happened is no different from the other crazy stuff you've told me about." He frowned at her but shrugged and sat back down in the circle. "Now tell us about what has you freaking out and refusing to be around anyone."

Harry stayed silent for nearly a minute just stroking Buckbeak and staring at his hands. Eventually when the silence had grown to uncomfortable proportions he started speaking. "I was possessed. I attacked Mr. Weasley. I hurt Ron's dad. I…I nearly killed him…"

Hermione's eyes narrowed to slits and she vehemently shook her head. "Honestly, Harry! That's beyond foolish to think that! How could you have _possibly_ left Hogwarts, secretly attacked Mr. Weasley, gotten back to school _and_ woken everyone in the dorm quickly enough for McGonagall to have gotten help to a man badly injured?"

"Yeah mate, your roommates were rather convinced that you were in bed the entire night until you started screaming bloody murder," Dora commented with forced nonchalance. "You might have seen through old Voldy's eyes as he tried to get through Arthur Weasley, but you sure as heck weren't possessed and doing it yourself." She paused and tapped her chin, a slight grin spreading across her lips. "Actually if anything you did a _reverse_ possession! Think of how useful that could be!"

Harry just stared at her with his mouth open though Hermione groaned and slapped a hand to her forehead. "Seriously, Dora? _Not_ helping."

Dora sighed and shook her head. "Yeah, probably a bad idea. You'd likely just see tons of gross shite peeking into his head. It's too bad; being able to force him to AK himself would've been beyond hilarious. He'd probably just get more pissed at you for next time though I suppose you already have a target on your head so maybe just for giggles we can try it anyway?" she asked innocently fluttering her enlarged, doe-like eyes at the two others.

Harry and Hermione cast each other incredulous glances before turning back to Dora and chuckling slightly. Harry reached over and pat her knee. "Thanks for that, Dora. Hermione, you too. I guess it was kind of stupid to think that I was the one who did it. But still, it felt so _real_. Like it was _my_ teeth sinking into him. I know they said it was that snake familiar he has, but it _felt_ like me. There…why do I have this connection? Why can't I get rid of it!?"

Hermione wrapped him in a hug and laid her head on his shoulder briefly before letting him go. "I don't know, but we'll figure it out like we always do."

Dora nodded. "Darn right we will. In the meantime, I can start to teach you some Occlumency. It might help keep him out. Basically it's the opposite of mind reading; it closes off your mind to others with some cool side effects like helping you deal with strong emotions a bit easier."

Hermione frowned and cocked her head at Dora. "Why are you just bringing this up now?"

 _Because I couldn't figure out how to frame it earlier without sounding suspicious._ "Because I didn't think it was important earlier. It's not something a ton of people use. I mostly know it because my teacher was evil and loved to work years ahead of 'those frustratingly slow public schools'. I don't know if it'll work or not, but hey, it's a worth a shot."

Harry nodded. "Anything that might help would be appreciated."

"Okay, it's settled then!" Dora said clapping her hands together. "We start practicing tonight and we stop moping around starting now!"

Hermione chuckled. "I think we can agree to that. Harry?"

He shot a wary glance to the two girls before throwing up his hands in defeat. "Fine, I give up. You two make sense so I'll try to perk up and stop dwelling on it."

"Yes! Success!" Dora pumped her hands into the air as all three grinned at each other. Things were looking up again.

* * *

It was dinnertime before the trio picked up to leave the room. "Are you sure about this, Dora? You could still sneak out…" Hermione commented worrying at her lip.

"Sirius already knows I'm here so there's not much point in leaving now is there? Besides where would I go? I don't really feel like grabbing a ride back to Hogwarts for the rest of the break."

Harry groaned and wiped a hand through his hair as he led the progression down the stairs. "Mrs. Weasley is _not_ going to be happy you're here."

"Eh, what's the worst she can do? Yell at me? Like _that's_ going to do anything," Dora commented grinning and lacing her hands behind her head. Harry just shook his head and Hermione frowned and subtly moved to place Dora between the two of them. It was sweet how they thought they'd be protecting her from the wrath of the resident matriarch. Molly had nothing on Bellatrix.

"Harry! You've come down for dinner!" said red-headed woman exclaimed as she pushed through the door to the kitchen with a tray in one hand and her wand in the other. A flick of the wand had the plates soaring back into through the door and she'd enveloped Harry into a hug before even bothering to look anywhere else. "When Sirius said that Hermione had shown up I just knew you'd be down in no time! Thank you dear so much for – " The abrupt termination of her line of thought was almost amusing.

Dora smiled and waved waiting for the mountain to erupt. "I have not seen you before," Mrs. Weasley said carefully. She slowly stood back up and tried to push Harry to the side. He didn't seem to be having any of that as he stayed planted firmly between Dora and Molly.

"Yeah, it'd be pretty hard to see me considering I just barely made it onto the train in September and I've been at Hogwarts since then," Dora commented never losing her smile.

"Hogwarts."

"Yup," she replied popping her 'p'. "Name's Dora Kirk. You must be Mrs. Weasley. It's nice to meet you."

Molly rocked back on her feet caught off her stride at how the conversation was going. "Dumbledore trusted you enough after such a short time to allow you into our sanctuary?"

"Sure. After a fashion," Dora said her grin becoming more of a smirk. "I'm sneaky that way."

It took a moment for Molly to process that statement, but once she had, her eyes narrowed and her wand flashed up. "You _tricked_ your way into this house?! How _dare_ you!"

A groan issued from Harry and Dora felt Hermione shift right behind her. The door to the kitchen swung open again and most of the members of the Order peered out around the door. She caught a glimpse of the rest of the Weasleys, Shacklebolt, Remus, Sirius, Hestia and – a shiver ran down her back as Dora locked eyes with Tonks who leant around the frame to catch a peek at what was going on.

"Who has tricked their way inside? That should not be possible under a Fidelius," Shacklebolt asked stepping forward to stand beside Molly. Trust Shack to try and sort things out.

"I did," Dora said raising her hand and shaking her head to tear her gaze from her counterpart. "Harry was here and he needed some help which none of you people seemed willing to give. I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

That comment apparently didn't sit well with Molly at all. "Why you little harlot!" she screamed her wand starting to spark. "How dare you imply that you came here to seduce that young man!" Dora almost laughed at that comment. How Molly had leapt from 'I'm here to help' to 'I'm here to jump his bones' was impressive.

"I believe we should consult Dumbledore on this," Shack said softly. In a moment his silver Patronus was running out through the walls to deliver the news of an intruder. Again just like Shack. He had always been careful to keep people posted on need-to-know information. So unlike her ex-idol.

"Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said calmly though the iron grip on Dora's hand spoke volumes to her true feelings. "Dora was not alone in her efforts to arrive here. I assisted her and I agree that I would do it again. We appealed to Professor Dumbledore and he was very unreasonable about the entire matter."

"She could be a Death Eater spy! She's just admitted to trying to seduce him! What else could she be up to?! I want her _out_! _NOW!_ "

Harry blinked and snorted. "Seduce me? Dora, have you seduced me? I know I'm a bit oblivious, but I'd like to think I would have noticed that."

Dora shrugged and winked at him. "Well I haven't ruled it out, but no, I haven't attempted to get you into bed yet. You'll know if I come after you, Harry, of that you can be sure."

Sirius slid around the doorframe and stepped up next to Harry. "Molly, hold on here. You're completely overreacting. I talked with both Hermione and Dora when they got here. They just came to talk to Harry and help him deal with the thing with Arthur."

Molly just scowled and gripped her wand tighter. "Even more reason to throw her out! She's been informed of things not her concern and she needs to leave before she learns anything sensitive!"

Fred and George looked at each other and cocked their shoulders in a dual shrug before Fred turned to his mother. "Uh, Mum, _we_ haven't learned anything 'sensitive'. If she's going to figure something fancy out before we do I vote she stays so we can grovel at her feet in an attempt to learn more."

"There there, minions, our work on Umbridge is enough at this juncture," Dora said wiggling her eyebrows to the twins. George chuckled in reply and saluted her.

"Sirius stand aside! I will take care of this little hussy."

Harry scowled and he stepped directly between Molly and Dora. "Mrs. Weasley, we've been trying to tell you that this is ridiculous. If Dora and Hermione hadn't come to talk to me, I'd probably still be up with Buckbeak. Please stop yelling at her, calling her names and trying to toss her out. She's my _friend_ and I'm _very_ glad to have her here!"

Molly shook her head and raised her wand. "You have no idea where she's from or who she is! Get out of the way, Harry!" She flicked her wrist and a spell shot out of it. Dora didn't even flinch as it struck a shield erected by Sirius. The old dog's lips pulled back into a snarl and he sent a disarming hex into Molly from point blank range.

As he caught her wand Sirius shouted, " _Enough_!" The floor above them rumbled as muffled screaming started up. Dora bit back an annoyed grunt at the horrible portrait. Thankfully it was quiet enough that the woman's curses didn't interrupt the current confrontation. "Molly Weasley, Dora Kirk has sanctuary in my house. She has been vouched for by Hermione, Harry and the twins. Neither Ron nor Ginny have said anything against her yet either. That's good enough for me. If you can't sit here and have a decent, civil conversation with my godson's friend then you can leave!"

Inside, Dora cheered. Sirius had never actually stood up to the Weasley matriarch last time around. How he'd always sat there and taken her constant ribbing had consistently grated back in the day. Dora wished she knew what domino she'd tapped that set this change in motion…

Speaking of dominos…that Ron hadn't immediately jumped to his mother's side was a definite improvement; on the other hand that he was still hanging back by the kitchen door staring glumly at the middle ground between the two groups was a tad disappointing. Ginny's expression seemed frozen between annoyance and entertainment. This was probably the girl's dream. Either way she'd win. Her mother would be knocked down a peg or Dora would be kicked out and leave her as the sole female – beyond Hermione – Harry's age in the house. Dora almost snorted at the thought of Ginny acting slightly like a dreaded Slytherin.

Molly reared back on her heels and gaped at Sirius for nearly five seconds before managing to regroup. "Sirius Black you will give me back my wand and let me deal with this. I am protecting this family and this house far better than you obviously!"

From just in front of the kitchen door Tonks frowned and shook her head. "That's a low blow, Molly. You know as well as the rest of us that Sirius isn't allowed to leave because there's too much chance he'd be recognized and killed."

"Mrs. Weasley, Dora is my family as much as any of you are," Harry stated softly as his wand dropped into his hand. "I won't stand here and let you threaten her and insult Sirius!"

Sirius for his part had gone stock still. He lowered his wand and glared at the large red-head. "Get out." His voice was soft, but it cut through the whispered conversations and brought absolute silence to the hall. The only sound after was continued muffled curses from Walburga Black, a slight whoosh from the kitchen and heavy breathing in the hallway.

"What?" Molly asked blinking at Sirius.

"I said: Get. Out. You are no longer welcome under my roof, Molly Weasley. Get! _Out_!"

"Now, now, Sirius," Dumbledore's soothing voice cut into the rant as he stepped around the people clustered near the door to the kitchen. Dora's eyes narrowed at seeing the man. Kitchen Floo; at least the thump made sense now. "Let us all calm our tempers and discuss this like rational men."

Sirius shook his head and pointed his wand at Molly. "Not this time, Dumbledore. She leaves right now or House Black is _not_ going to be hosting the Order of the Turkeys any longer."

"Sirius, please – " Dumbledore implored.

"You have ten seconds to leave, Molly. Ten, nine, eight…" Sirius said continuing to glare.

Dumbledore sighed and shook his head. "Molly, please let us deal with this. I will come speak with you later once I have everything sorted out. It should only be a few hours."

Molly shook her head and kept her eyes centered on Sirius'. "Headmaster I hardly think – "

" _Now_ , Molly," Dumbledore cut her off before her rant could get restarted. Scowling Molly held out her hand to Sirius with a huff. The man waited a long moment before reluctantly handing her wand back over. As soon as her fingers clenched around it, Molly turned and stalked into the kitchen towards the Floo. A pin could've dropped in the hall as Dumbledore watched her go before turning to narrow his eyes on Dora. "I do not remember giving you the secret of this location. How is it you are here, Miss Kirk?"

Dora raised her eyebrows at the man and snorted. "Oh so now you remember my name? Couldn't seem to figure it out when Hermione was talking with you could you?"

"I do not believe that is relevant," Dumbledore commented his gaze hardening.

"Actually it's _completely_ relevant. See that's when you granted me access. I was pretty cunning about how I asked, but I did still ask," Dora said with a smile and a small wave to encompass the house. "It would have been nice of you to tell me without having to pull it out of you, but it was a long shot getting here the easy way."

" _We_ asked you, Headmaster," Hermione stated stepping up to stand beside Harry and Sirius in blocking off Dora. "We gave you multiple reasons and opportunities to hear our side yet you continued to ignore anything we said. I had to resort to underhanded methods to manipulate the permission for our friend to enter this house and help Harry see some sense."

Dumbledore peered intently at Hermione before shifting back to Dora with narrowed eyes. "I was not speaking with Minerva at all…Polyjuice…I am becoming far too complacent…"

"Nope. Try again," Dora commented shrugging. "Close but no dice." Dumbledore's head jerked up and he quickly passed his gaze between Tonks and Dora both with similar shades of pink hair. His eyes widened and he gaped for just a moment before managing to recover. "You are a metamorphmagus!"

"Nail on the head!"

George slapped his brother on the back and let out an incongruous shout of glee. "Haha, I knew it! Technicolor Hair Spell my arse! Pay up, Fred!"

"Lucky guess," Fred grumbled as he passed over several galleons. Dora smiled at the twins and bowed her head slightly. She was surprised it'd taken the school this long to realize her game of daily hair changes wasn't caused by a spell. Word would probably spread quickly now that all the Weasleys were aware. At least she wouldn't have to keep trying to hold her morphs now to keep the mystery going.

"Extraordinary abilities aside, I never once spoke the full phrase nor did I agree to tell you in the future, Miss Kirk," Dumbledore said shaking his head. "This is quite disturbing."

" 'Like you've granted access to the both of us?' " Hermione whispered. "Magic is all about intentions, Headmaster. You need to be more careful in how you phrase things. That I could mislead you in under five minutes…It's a wonder that we aren't swimming with Death Eaters. You claim this house is safer than anything else possible. Yet I am sixteen and I worked out how to evade your defenses in under an hour. Your methods do not work, Headmaster Dumbledore. I wish you could admit that."

Dumbledore frowned and remained quiet. Eventually he shook his head and centered his gaze back onto Dora. "Evidently I will have to reevaluate how I conduct my meetings. Now…Miss Kirk's background and motivations remain unverified. Harry's safety is the utmost priority. I apologize, but you cannot be allowed to remain aware of this location. I believe that Obliviation is the most prudent – "

Dumbledore bit off the rest of the sentence as he stared down at four wands pointed directly at his chest. Dora, Hermione and Harry had all raised their wands simultaneously while Sirius was only a heartbeat behind them. The entire house seemed to take a collective breath until the twins and Ron slipped past Dumbledore's side. Fred and George took up flanking positions on either side of Dora while Ron stepped behind her to cover the rear. Tonks, Shack, Hestia and Remus remained rooted to the floor by the kitchen staring open mouthed at the events in front of them. Dora couldn't help a small, warm smile from spreading on her lips. _So much for being mean. Suck on that Lavender!_

"Headmaster Dumbledore, I think it prudent that you leave my house as well," Sirius stated softly. "As I've said, Dora Kirk has the confidence and trust of my godson and his friends. She now has mine as well. If you cannot accept that feel free to move Headquarters to another location. But she will be allowed to stay here as long as she wishes. As to Harry's safety, he is free to choose whether to follow you to your new Headquarters or to remain here for the holiday. The choice is his. Not yours. _His_. If he wishes to go up and join the Death Munchers that's something I'd try and talk him out of, yet it should still be _his choice_. I let you dictate his guardians against his wishes during the last two summers. I will not let you dictate his shelter, friends or actions now. Leave and come back when you've had a chance to decide _your_ choice." Sirius' words were punctuated by a dull glow to his wand. Dora whistled low. She'd never seen her cousin this angry before. Even when he was fighting Bellatrix he hadn't seemed truly… _angry_. Suddenly she truly understood why the Blacks were feared.

Dumbledore looked between all of the occupants of the hallway before slowly nodding with a quiet sigh and making a show of returning his wand to its holster. "I apologize for the atmosphere and disturbance. Everything I have done has been to protect Harry. I wish to continue using your home to conduct meetings, Sirius. I will withdraw my concerns about Miss Kirk until such time they need to be revisited. For now I will leave to allow for all of our heads to cool." Again pins could've hit the floor like cannons. Dumbledore simply nodded to all present and walked back to the fireplace, Flooing away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Much thanks to RhysThornbery for his beta assistance on this.
> 
> Is Hermione a bit…harsher than strictly necessary in this chapter? Probably. I feel that this is a bit more realistic of a reaction though from someone whose idol just tore down their pedestal in front of her eyes.
> 
> \/\/\/\/
> 
> Mad-Eye's Rules For Successfully Reaching Retirement:
> 
> Rule 4: Common Sense. Muggles have it. So should we. We don't. Strive to get some.
> 
> Rule 122: You can look a gift horse in the mouth, but be prepared to be flattened by the fist flying out of its gullet.
> 
> \/\/\/\/
> 
> Fic Recommendation: "Twenty seconds of bravery" by MercuryM. This used to be on this site, but it seems the author has removed the oneshot collection it was in. It's still found by its lonesome at Archive of Our Own (make sure you google search for "MercuryM" in quotations otherwise it has issues popping up…). This is a Harry/Tonks short oneshot where Tonks tells Remus after their first date that she is in love with someone else. It is incredibly sweet and written well. It's a very nice small fic for Honks shippers.


	6. A Very Harry Potter Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This chapter was/is a beast. There was no decent spot to split it so you get one almost twice as long as usual this week. Enjoy!
> 
> I've taken some liberties on the arrangement of St. Mungo's. After rereading that segment of the book it didn't quite fit what I needed so I swapped some furniture and doors around.
> 
> There's some language warning in this chapter. Not a huge amount but there is some swearing towards the end that – coupled with the sheer volume of innuendo in this chapter – probably pushes my T rating boundary a tad.

**Chapter 6: A Very Harry Potter Christmas**

Dora woke the morning after what would later become known as 'The Great Order Blowout' with a mane of bushy brunette hair a few inches in front of her eyes. Blinking in confusion she remained perfectly still trying to get her brain awake enough to process the information her gaze was feeding her.

She failed repeatedly.

 _Why is Hermione in my bed? Why is she sleeping on my chest?_ Dora tried to run through the events of last night. After Dumbledore had left, the majority of the Order had filed out as well, ostensibly because they had business but really because Sirius wouldn't stop glaring at most of them for refusing to say anything during Dumbledore's attempted obliviation. Personally she'd considered it a bit harsh – things had escalated rather quickly so she really couldn't blame them for being caught flat footed and freezing. After dinner the remaining household had retired to bed. She distinctly remembered falling asleep alone. She'd have probably worn more than just a long T-shirt and knickers if someone had joined her…Meaning Hermione had gotten up in the middle of the night and decided to slither in to cuddle up.

Slowly, the corners of her mouth lifted as a decidedly fun plot popped into her head. Still riding the high of dreamland, Dora shifted her head enough to see just past the mass of hair to the girl resting on her breasts. Holding in a chuckle Dora concentrated for a moment and began alternatively expanding said pillows so that Hermione's head started to rock between Dora's left and right sides. An annoyed grumble issued forth from the teen as Dora left both breasts at comic book levels with Hermione sandwiched between them. Hermione grumbled louder only to be followed a moment later by a squeak of surprise. The brunette sat up so fast she literally fell onto her back. As she picked herself back up to a seated position the scowl on her face was so delightfully adorable that Dora couldn't help but shake her head and chuckle. "Sleep well, Hermione?"

"That was _not_ funny."

"Yeah, actually it was pretty funny," Dora replied waggling her eyebrows and enlarging her breasts even more before letting them shrink back down to normal. "You're the one who decided my chest was a great pillow. You have to bear the consequences!" Hermione's glare set Dora's chuckles off again. "Any particular reason you ended up in my bed?"

Hermione glanced to the third bed in the room, currently pushed against the wall and full with a lightly snoring redhead. Reaching over to the table, Hermione grabbed her wand and cast a small privacy charm around herself and Dora.

Dora's laughter petered off and she squinted up at Hermione. Pushing up to lean on her arms she scanned the other girl with a small shake of her head. "I really am a _horrible_ influence on you…magic outside of school?"

"It's safe. Did you know that the Trace is simply a fancy word for monitoring charms around Muggle neighborhoods without adult witches and wizards residing in them? I was quite perturbed by the implications when Professor McGonagall explained it to me. I find it highly unlikely that many magical families follow the rules and prevent their children from learning or practicing magic before school. No wonder they start ahead of Muggleborns…" Hermione sighed and nodded. "And, yes, yes you are a horrible influence. I used to think Harry and Ron were bad…I had no idea. Since I met you I've been pranking teachers – with meaner and _meaner_ methods – I've told off my Head of House, I've tricked, yelled at and _manipulated_ my headmaster!"

"And pulled a wand on him," Dora murmured frowning. "I never really thanked you for that yesterday…So, yeah, thanks, Hermione. Really, I honestly am not sure what I would have done if you guys hadn't stood up to defend me."

"You're welcome." Hermione grimaced and shook her head. "This year has not been kind to any of us it seems."

"No, it hasn't. Why _have_ you helped me so much anyway? I'm practically twisting you against your entire nature with every new idea I bring up it seems." Dora asked.

A small smile flashed across Hermione's mouth though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Because you are good for him." Dora didn't need to ask to know who she was talking about and a pang of guilt rang inside her chest. She silently uttered a brief prayer that Hermione would cut off there and she could remain blissfully ignorant of anything deeper – a hope that was immediately dashed by the brunette's next words. "You are better for him than I am. Better than I _was_. Harry's opened up to you in a matter of weeks when I wasn't even friends with him for months at the start. He feels for you and you for him and despite the…well the clash of your boisterous nature and his quiet solitude somehow you fit together."

Dora sat up fully and shook her head slowly back and forth. "Hermione, Harry and I – "

"Stop," Hermione commanded holding up a hand. "Stop denying it and stop fighting it. I know from experience it doesn't work and it doesn't go away and you're only going to make things worse in the long run by ignoring it. You like him, admit it and get over yourself. He likes you as well even if he's not particularly good at expressing it."

Dora swallowed hard and tried to keep her hair from flipped through a rainbow of colors. Hermione _did_ have a romantic interest in Harry. And now apparently she'd mucked that up with her meddling. Perfect. Absolutely _perfect._ "Okay, maybe, _maybe_ , I like him. But…Merlin, Hermione, you've been his friend for ages! You have every right to say something to him before I bother throwing my hat in. For all I know, you were _supposed_ to get with him before I blundered into things!" The guilt sprang up and started gnawing on her. She'd been able to fix some things so far, but how much else had she broken in the process?

Hermione's smile widened ever so slightly and she reached out to pat Dora's leg. "No, I waited too long and he has rarely looked at me as he looks at you. Perhaps if things had been different or if I had been a bit braver when I had the chance, but now the time has passed. I've made my peace with it."

"It doesn't seem right…" Dora muttered trailing off as she stared into the distance.

"Well if it makes you feel better, there is always the chance you'll crash and burn and leave me behind to pick up the pieces of his heart," Hermione commented smirking and waving her hand dismissively. "It _is_ statistically unlikely that school sweethearts turn into married couples later in life." She paused and snorted, "Well, _normally_ at least. Like everything else, the rules do seem a bit odd for magicals."

"You're like a freaking _saint_ woman," Dora said rubbing her forehead. "I'll consider it. So back to the sleeping thing, _why_ did you end up cuddling with me?"

Hermione's face flushed red and she glanced over to Ginny briefly. "Ah. That. You uh, didn't quite notice it last night, but Ginny was giving both of us _exceptionally_ annoyed looks throughout the evening. So I ended up deciding it would be safer to sleep together. You were already asleep otherwise I would have consulted you first."

Dora raised her eyebrows and turned to look at the redhead two beds over. "What, you think she'd _attack_ us in our sleep?"

"Oh no, not at all!" Hermione hastened to reply holding up her hands in defense. "But the girl did grow up with Fred and George and I would _certainly_ not put it past her to channel them both and prank us six ways to Sunday if she sees a reasonable opportunity."

" _Why_?"

Hermione snorted again and rubbed her forehead. "For someone extremely intelligent you can be a bit single-minded, Dora. _You_ are stealing her man and _I_ have betrayed her to help you by bringing you here."

"You…betrayed her," Dora said slowly. She needed tea or coffee in order to follow this conversation.

"I tried to help her get closer to Harry over the summer," Hermione commented with a shrug. "I gave her some advice which she has taken to heart while simultaneously completely ignoring the entire point."

Dora stayed quiet for several seconds before throwing up her hands and shaking her head. "You're going to have to explain this one."

Hermione laughed and nodded. "Sure. Ginny is in love with the Boy Who Lived. Her savior, her White Knight, the slayer of the basilisk and vanquisher of possessing ghosts. The problem is she knows next to nothing about _Harry Potter the boy_ and she doesn't quite get that there _is_ actually a difference. I advised her to start talking to him and try to expand her friend circle; hopefully she could then speak with him as a person and not as an idol. She talks perfectly fine with him now, but she still sees him as a hero first and person second. That's why I don't mind you pursuing him as you have that inverted."

Dora blinked in confusion before eventually flopping back down onto the bed. "I'd kinda forgotten for a bit just how bloody confusing being a teenager could be!"

"Tell me about it! I hate hormones."

"Agreed." Looking up at Hermione, Dora cocked a thumb at Ginny. "So we need to watch out for prank jinxes from the spurned fangirl despite her not actually dating the boy?"

Hermione shrugged. "Maybe. I just figured it was better to be safe than sorry." She paused and winced guiltily. "Also, it's quite drafty in this house and Sirius forgot to get us that extra blanket before we turned in. I haven't managed to conjure those just yet."

Dora looked from Hermione's shift night-dress and the missing blanket on the brunette's bed over to the nice, cozy quilt tossed all over her own. She let out a small groan which turned into a low laugh. "And people say I'm crafty." Lifting the edge of the blanket she beckoned the other girl back under the covers and Hermione happily jumped forward to reenter the warmth with a contented sigh. "I repeat, I am a _horrible_ influence on you."

* * *

An hour or two later after a shower and wonderful breakfast, the members of the Black household were happily chatting away in the kitchen trying to determine the plan for the day. Dora noted with a pleased smile that everyone seemed to be in good spirits despite the drama the night before. Harry had even lost the bags under his eyes and while the occasional glare from Ginny was difficult to miss the others had all welcomed her into the house. They were just about to clean the place settings when the teenagers were surprised by the kitchen door flying open and Mad-Eye Moody stomping into the room.

Dora gulped at the sight of the wildly spinning blue eye and piercing stare directed at her. Her old mentor wasn't holding his wand yet which was a plus. Even if it was only a small one…

"So, you're the crafty little teenager that managed to work her way around a Fidelius, eh?" Moody gruffed. "Well let's see you girl. Sirius may vouch for you, but I for one make my own decisions."

Dora nodded and stood being careful to keep her movements slow and her hands wide. Moody wasn't quite as bad as people liked to make him seem, but until he was certain you were a friend he could be quite loose with his spells and attitude. "Hello, Professor Moody. The others have told me a bit about you. It's nice to finally meet."

Moody snorted and shook his head as his good eye scanned her from foot to head. "Never did get around to teaching much so you can drop the Professor. I understand you and Granger tricked the location out of Dumbledore using intentions as the baseline?"

"Uh…" That _was_ a good question…

"That's correct, Sir," Hermione chimed in. "It was mostly my plan. That it actually worked is…"

"Dangerous," Moody finished nodding. "I'll have to get Weasley out here to add some wards around the property. Make sure to prevent any uninvited guests from coming to the party and regretting it if they do. Good job pointing out a potential weak point in the defenses, Granger, Kirk." He turned back to Dora and held her gaze. "Now, what was so important that you couldn't wait until the start of next term and felt it worth subverting some of the strongest magic we know?"

Dora felt her face heat up and she made no effort to prevent her hair from changing to a flame red. "My friend was hurting. I have few good friends and I wasn't going to let him just sit here wallowing in self-hatred," she said glaring at Moody.

Harry held up a hand. "Uh, I wasn't 'wallowing in self-hatred'. I was reflecting on current problems and how I could be better."

Ron laughed and clapped his friend on the back. "Mate, you were wallowing. Even I know that and I have a…a um…Hermione what did you call it? Poorly developed emotion something or other?"

"Poorly developed emotional recognition and empathic response," Hermione responded in a monotone while arching an eyebrow.

"That! I have that, even I knew you were wallowing, Harry!"

Ginny rolled her eyes and lightly slapped her brother on the back of his head. "That's not something to brag about, Ron."

Moody had remained quiet and held Dora's gaze throughout the entire exchange. Apparently finding the right amount of truth and annoyance in her eyes, he nodded and shifted to address the room. "Alright, joke's over. Grab your wands and get ready. Now that he's stabilized and fully out of danger, we're heading to the St. Mungo's to visit Arthur." He was forced to cut off as the Weasleys erupted in shouts of joy. Allowing them a few moments to celebrate, Moody continued. "Seeing as we can't get Ministry vehicles, I, Hestia, Andromeda and the twins will be apparating the group in. Fred, George, you will be taking your sister and brother. Hestia will take Granger, Potter is with Andromeda and Kirk is with me."

Dora blinked up at him as the others stood from the table and started she shuffle towards the door. She moved on autopilot forcing her hair back to a neutral tone and steeling her nerves for interacting with Mu-Andromeda. The regular guards from last time had probably been too uncomfortable to come back so soon after the blowup. She was actually surprised that Hestia had consented to come, but then Hestia tended to be in the background a bit often. Too often really…Oh well, at least Tonks wasn't one of the escorts. Dora figured she should be able to deal with one of her 'family' members, but not two at once. Not yet at least.

Waving goodbye to Sirius they all filed up to the entranceway and greeted Hestia and Andromeda. It took under a minute to get everyone sorted out and bundled off to St. Mungo's. As the hospital materialized around her Dora pushed down the nausea; Side-Along really was awful. They had already started towards the stairs when she realized that Andromeda had fallen into place near her.

"So, a metamorphmagus? My daughter has the ability as well. Have you had any issues adjusting? I can recommend good books that seemed to help her as well as arrange a face-to-face meeting if you desire. She is quite busy these days, but she seemed extremely excited when telling me about you last night. I'm certain we could move some things around to get you two some time alone."

Yes, because that was _exactly_ what Dora wanted. Time alone with her past self. Time alone with the one person in this world _most_ likely to recognize her. Time alone with a constant reminder that this wasn't quite home and that home was forever lost. Sure. Swell idea. "I'll take the books. If she has time we can chat, but I've been figuring out a ton on my own so she doesn't have to rearrange anything just to see me." _I was lazy with personal stuff. Hell, I didn't even do the dishes for a week! I won't go out of my way to switch my schedule if 'Dora Kirk' isn't interested. I…hope…Oh who am I kidding, I'm screwed._

"Then I will get those over to you immediately," Andromeda replied with an easy smile as they stepped out of the stairs and into the injuries ward.

Arthur's room was almost exactly as she remembered it from the first go-round; even right down to his horrible usage of stitches. She'd only heard about the stitches originally. To actually see their attempts at amateur sewing…Dora had a hard time deciding whether to bang her head against the wall or slap Arthur silly. _Actual_ stitches done by someone who _knew what they were doing_ would've worked wonders for his wound. The man's poor attempts at explanation coupled with the Healer's incompetence led to a horrific mess that probably set Healer usage of Muggle techniques back by a decade at least.

What made the whole thing worse was that Dora – eh, _Tonks_ – could've done it herself if anyone had bothered to consult with her. Any of the Aurors could've. It was all part of their basic training. Being fluent with field medicine using Muggle means was important if they were caught injured with a bad case of magical exhaustion.

After the initial pleasantries, the exchange quickly turned into something extremely personal for the Weasleys and Dora quietly slipped out of the room to wait in the hallway. She wasn't extremely surprised when Hermione joined her less than a minute later, but both were a bit taken aback when Harry too slipped outside. He eyed the surprise written on the girls' faces and shrugged. "Don't look at me like that. I may be an honorary brother, but I'm not exactly part of the family. Let's just walk down a bit and give them some space."

Dora shrugged and led the way up the corridor. As they passed Andromeda she quietly fell into line behind the trio. Dora had never quite gotten along with her mother, but that was something she'd always admired about the woman. Andromeda Tonks had a remarkable ability to remain close enough to assist despite allowing you enough space to feel like you were given privacy. It was a skill Dora'd never managed to quite pickup for personal use even if she could do a passable imitation when tailing someone.

_Rule Number 95: When following someone it doesn't matter if you're obvious. It only matters if you're close enough for them to care that you're going in the same direction._

She managed to subtly steer the small group into the direction of the Spell Damage ward without too much trouble. While they were in the area Dora could at least try to do some minor good deeds. Broderick Bode might never actually _recover_ from his ordeal with whatever had happened in the Department of Mysteries, but she could at least save him from being killed via _plant_. It was easy enough to wander into the room, lean a _bit_ too close to the Devil's Snare clipping while the Healer was close by and expose the evil little flora for what it was. A bit of feigned relief and annoyance later…and Bode was saved and the small group was wandering on further down the ward, no mess no fuss.

"I won a smile award! See, that's my face! Do I still smile like that? I think I do, but I feel like this is something I need to practice to get just right," a melodious voice commented drifting out of an open door just in front of them.

"Practicing a smile?" Dora muttered. "That must be some extreme spell damage there…"

Harry just groaned and wiped a hand down his face. "That would be Lockhart…Out of all the rooms to wander near how do we wind up at _Lockhart_?"

"Well I for one am rather intrigued. I've heard about the damage Ron's wand did to him and after his horrific showings as a teacher, his stolen good deeds and his atrocious attempt on your life…The man deserves exactly what he got and I for one want to see it firsthand!" Hermione commented.

The brunette strode past Dora and straight into the room with the ex-Defense professor leaving a quietly chuckling Andromeda behind and a thoroughly bewildered Dora to watch. Harry stepped up next to her shaking his head. "We've created a monster, Dora. Corrupted Hermione is scary when she's protective."

"You have no idea," she murmured. "I want to hear about him stealing good deeds and trying to kill you by the way. Apparently we've skipped that story." _Along with god knows what else. Like what the hell happened at the end of their third year to drive away hundreds of Dementors and free Sirius from certain death twice._

"Tell you when we get back," Harry replied. The two walked into the room as the Healer walked out smiling to each of them. Apparently Lockhart didn't have many visitors if the Healer didn't even ask for their names. Or he had so many that she didn't even bother anymore. Both were probably decent possibilities. Dora found herself holding in a stomach chortling laugh at the bright smile spread over Hermione's face.

"Yes, Lockhart that's right, wiping your own behind _is_ great progress!" Hermione crowed.

Dora lost her battle with the laughter though she did at least manage to restrict it to a small giggle. Harry for his part simply blinked and turned around to march right back outside. "Yes it is! The nice Healer Woman says that I should be able to brush my teeth in another few months!" Lockhart said nodding vigorously. Hermione just smiled back at him with her huge grin firmly plastered on her face. Dora's giggle got louder and she reached over to grab her friend's arm pulling her out of the room. "Goodbye! Visit again! I'll sign my picture for it when I remember how to write!"

They had barely gotten the door closed before Dora laughed hard enough to bend over and clutch her sides. She took a few moments to let it out and recenter herself before turning on a smug Hermione. "Keep smiling like that and _you'll_ steal his Best Smile prize from him."

"Hermione, Dora, can we please keep going? I'd prefer not to watch Lockhart make even more of a fool of himself," Harry asked rolling his eyes.

"Coming," both girls recited turning to him and waving him on.

They had gone a short ways down the corridor before again coming to a stop though this time no one was laughing. Inside the room just ahead of them were Neville and Madam Augusta Longbottom. Both were sitting next to two beds, each occupied. Neville was smiling softly at the woman on the bed next to him as she reverently handed him a small bubblegum wrapper while the man near Augusta barely moved at all and only seemed to babble incoherently every few seconds.

Dora couldn't look away from the scene. She knew exactly what it was; Neville's parents, Frank and Alice, had been attacked shortly after Harry's family. Dora had been old enough at the time that she just barely remembered meeting the two. They had been lively and lovely. Now they were so broken that they were permanent residents of Mungo's. And to further complicate matters, Alice still seemed to somewhat recognize Neville. Dora's heart about broke watching that. She couldn't decide what was worse; Harry's dead parents or Neville's living ones. Both had pain in their lives, but Neville's was a constant reminder that despite still eating and breathing, neither of his parents were truly with them any longer; if they hadn't been healed by now there wasn't much chance of that situation changing. At least Harry had some closure.

"Hello there," Augusta commented standing from her vigil over her son and coming to speak with the small group. "Mr. Potter, it's a pleasure to see you outside of that courtroom. Come to visit Arthur I assume?"

Harry gave a demure nod in reply. "Yes, Ma'am. He's talking with his family so we left to give what comfort we could to some of the others in this wing."

"That's very kind of you, dear. Neville will be along shortly. Alice does this every time. She only has one more to give him now. And you two are…?"

Hermione stepped forward and gave a small curtsy. "Hermione Granger, Ma'am. I'm – "

"Ah, yes, it's nice to finally put a name to the face. Neville has spoken quite extensively about your help with his homework; especially this year. Would this be Miss Kirk then?"

Dora nodded. "Yes, Madam Longbottom. I'm sorry for your loss and I'm humbled by the strength you both show here."

Augusta smiled and nodded at that as Neville finally left his mother's side and came to stand with them. He looked distinctly uncomfortable though that shifted into surprise as Hermione moved forward and wrapped him into a powerful hug. Dora couldn't hear what she whispered to him, but as they pulled apart he was smiling softly at them even if it held a tinge of sorrow in it. "I know you guys knew about my parents, but it's different seeing it firsthand. Thank you for stopping by." The trio nodded and he continued. "I heard about Mr. Weasley getting hurt. Is he alright?"

"He'll be fine in a week or two," Harry said. "The bite was pretty bad and it has some sort of curse on it, but they are healing it. It's just slow going."

"That's good. I'm glad he'll be alright." Everyone murmured their agreement at that. "We have to go. It was nice seeing you guys. If you want to stay you can." Neville was halfway out the door when he stopped and turned back to them with small lopsided grin. "If Mum tries to give you a candy wrapper don't let her see you throw it out."

As he and his grandmother left, Dora turned to the other two and glanced back to Frank and Alice. "A few minutes with them you think?"

Hermione and Harry immediately nodded. "I think they deserve it," Harry murmured. The three friends walked into the hospital room and sat down to talk with some of the heroes from the last Blood War.

That the heroes couldn't talk back made no difference.

* * *

After the group returned from the hospital most of the Weasleys retired to the either the kitchen or their rooms. Harry, Hermione and Dora were left alone in the library with Sirius ostensibly updating him on how things went.

In reality it seemed far more like a welcoming party for one to Dora.

"And then I told Remus to drop the newt into the loo! You should've seen the look on Flitwick's face when he found that mess the next day!" Sirius finished slapping his hands on his thighs laughing. "Oh, that poor man! We originally intended for McGonagall to be the one to find it but they swapped routes. James thought it worked out even better that way in the end!"

Dora chuckled. It really had been an inspired idea…It was almost a shame she couldn't use a variation of that on Umbridge. Anything more would probably end up killing the woman and that wasn't quite on the table just yet. Rapidly nearing the table, certainly, but not _quite_ on it. Dora mentally took a step back and frowned at herself. She was ex-Auror, she was supposed to be an idealist. When had it become acceptable to contemplate becoming judge, jury and executioner? She had been taught to protect people; to not cast her own opinion into the mix of any one specific job. Granted the toad was a monster; Umbridge was almost more evil than Malfoy in her own way - she _gleefully_ tortured _children_ while hiding behind the cloak of law...but Dora would have to be careful and watch herself. It was only a hop skip and jump down a slippery slope if she started down that path without carefully considering all other options.

"So what was your best one yet?" Sirius asked smirking at her.

Pushing back her doubts, Dora focused on the here-and-now and smirked right back crossing her arms and leaning back into the couch. "A true mistress of the trade never tells her secrets."

Harry snorted. "You're just upset that Hermione and Neville turned out to have a better idea than you did."

Hermione buried her head further into her book. It did little to hide the blush that rose up to cover her entire face.

Sirius' eyebrows rose and he looked between all three teens with a huge smile. "This I have to hear."

"Ton Tongue Toffee combined with a bit of a modification and some flies makes for a very unhappy toad," Harry replies with a grin.

Sirius burst out laughing again before reaching over to pat Dora's shoulder. "Don't worry, sweetheart, I doubt anyone will be able to top _that_ for some time. We'll work on improving your repertoire. Stick with me Miss Kirk and we'll get you to the genius' level!"

Dora shook her head and rolled her eyes at her cousin's antics. It was…strangely comforting to be so accepted by him. He barely even knew her and she already seemed to have not only a place in his house, but a place in his circle of friends. That was – it meant more to her than she'd ever willing admit outside of her head. Having at least some semblance of her family back was, well it was downright _priceless_.

"As much fun as this is, Harry and I need to retire for the evening," she commenting with a small sigh at leaving the good company behind. _Though I'll be alone with_ other _good company. Handsome good company at – no! Bad Dora!_

"Ooooh?" Sirius asked grinning. "Do I need to teach you two locking and silencing charms? Or…" he paused dramatically and leaned back bringing his hands to his cheeks in a mock gasp, "a _contraceptive_ charm?"

Harry's mouth dropped open and Dora let out a groan. "Yeah, I walked right into that one. I'm teaching him Occlumency. We figure it might help with preventing whatever vision he had from happening again."

Sirius sobered within moments and narrowed his gaze. "That's…not a bad idea. I have a bit of a hard time believing you're good enough to actually teach him though."

Dora shrugged. "I'm probably not, but if I can at least give him the basics then it's something right? From what Mrs. Gwenog said it's always better to start with someone you trust as your partner."

Sirius nodded and shifted his gaze to Harry. "You both realize if she has any skill at all you'll probably be spending a fair amount of time in each others' memories?"

Harry nodded. "I'm okay with that. I'll do practically anything to avoid feeling my teeth sinking into another friend."

Sirius sighed and crossed his arms as he leaned back. "I can understand that feeling. Remus was always like that too when he remembered bits and pieces of being the wolf. I wish I could help you myself, Harry. I'm excellent with Occlumency – had to be growing up a Black – but my head is not a place you want to risk wandering around in right now. I may joke around about a lot of things, but I'm not going to joke about something like this. You don't need to accidentally see Azkaban or Godric's Hollow or any of the things I remember from the war. I'll give you two pointers if you want it once you get started, but I won't be an active participant here."

Sirius paused and rubbed his chin. "You know…I could ask Andi to help…She should've gotten the same training before she walked away. She probably gave it to Tonks too. At least Tonks is close to you guys in age and…"

"I'm really okay with this, Sirius," Harry said softly shaking his head. "Mrs. Tonks seems nice and Tonks is a lot of fun, but I haven't really spent time with either." Dora managed to hold back her snicker at that comment though it was a close thing. "I trust Dora and if we end up needing more help then I want to at least get a decent baseline with her first to make sure that no one else sees things I don't want them to. I'd do it with Hermione, but she hasn't learned it yet so it's a moot point."

Hermione put down her book and nodded. "I wish I had now, and I've already owl-ordered copies of the best books on the subject. I imagine it will take some time to master the skills though. I won't be having sessions with Dora until after we're reasonably confident that Harry has progressed enough to work on his own."

Sirius whistled. "You three don't play around. Ron doing it as well?"

Harry shrugged. "I mentioned it to him last night. He said it sounded like a lot of work and he'd consider trying it for an hour or two a week after Hermione could give him the condensed version. It's…honestly a bit more than I had expected from him so I'm counting it as win."

"If he thinks I'm going to go rooting around in his Quidditch and food obsessed brain, that boy is in for a rude awakening," Hermione muttered.

"Right, and on that note, Harry, my bed awaits," Dora commented standing and bowing with a flourish and wink to Sirius. Groans from Hermione and Harry were her answer though her target did get up and shuffle towards the door. Peals of laughter followed them both out as they made their way up to the girls' room. Silently thanking the luck god that Ginny was elsewhere, Dora sent a quick locking and privacy charm at the door to ensure that they wouldn't be disturbed for a few hours.

"Alright, now sit down on the bed. This is probably going to literally knock you on your arse the first few times so might as well get comfortable first," she said gesturing to the bed. Harry nodded and hopped up looking at her with an intent sparkle in his gaze. Dora swallowed hard at that image before she sat down across from him and gently lifted her wand to point between them. "Okay, now first things first. I'm going to gently test to see if you have any natural boundaries. It's going to be a bit uncomfortable, but I'm not going to push so this shouldn't be too bad."

He nodded and a whispered _legilimens_ later saw her pushing her consciousness at Harry. His defenses were – for lack of a better work – utter shite. She had barely started to push into him before large holes opened to welcome her into his mind. Pulling back Dora sighed and shook her head.

"That bad?"

"Well it _could_ be worse…" She grimaced at his skeptical glare and backpedaled. "Yeah, you're pretty bad. I can work with this though. It's sort of what we expected anyway right? We knew you needed to shore up your mental defenses. Alright, think of a wall."

Harry frowned. "Brick or stone?"

That sent Dora chuckling. "Anything, mate. Brick, stone, steel, crystal, some fancy made-up alloy. Anything as long as it's _strong_ to _you_. The image is just a focus for your mind to wrap its defenses around. Your magic and your will reinforce it. The wall is just a framework to build the layers onto."

"Huh," Harry murmured. He closed his eyes and his features scrunched up for nearly a minute before he relaxed slightly and opened his eyes a sliver. "Try again?"

" _Legilimens_ ," Dora said again locking gazes. This time most of the holes had been patched over though there were still a few obvious weak points. She pulled back again and smiled at him. "Much better, Harry. This time imagine it as a giant sphere instead of a wall. If I can fly _over_ or _under_ your defenses it won't matter much how strong the wall itself is right?"

"That makes sense…I don't know how well I'll be able to imagine a walled dome though…can I try to make it something else?"

"Sure. Remember this is just the framework. You can build whatever fortified structure you want as long as long you think it's something no one can get into without a fight."

Harry quirked his mouth to the side for several long moments before smiling and nodding to her. "Got it. Again."

Dora smirked and raised her eyebrows. "Alright Mr. Confident, this time I'm actually going to try pushing into your mind. Keep me out."

"I'm waiting, Professor," he replied with an answering taunting grin. Flashes of herself in a saucy teacher's robe sauntering towards Harry seated at a desk flitted unbidden across her mind. Shaking her head and using her powers to prevent the blush from rising Dora simply lifted her wand and sent the spell at him again.

This time almost all of the holes had mostly closed. They weren't quite sealed, but it was remarkably good progress for a first lesson. Except for one hole at the very center of his defense. Mentally sighing, Dora dove for that. She knew he'd most likely latched onto Hogwarts as his template – most Muggleborns learning Occlumency did. And like most of them he'd forgotten that he had to bar the Entrance Doors in his mental picture. She flew down and waltzed into his memories.

The first set was initially rather disconcerting. Dora found herself seated on the Quidditch pitch amidst screams and shouts and whizzing competitors. Shaking her head to try and focus better, she found herself staring up at Harry in what had to be one of his first few Quidditch games. She saw him fly by her at top speed and she could only whistle at the skill level a simple 11 year old was displaying.

The scene had barely started before it shifted and she was confronted with the sound of running water. Dora's blush came roaring back in full force as she was confronted with the backside of an older Harry in the locker room showers. _"Wonder if the girls actually do soap each other up like Angelina was saying,"_ the memory-voice of George floated into the scene.

" _Nah, they're just messing with you,"_ Memory Harry replied. He sighed and turned his gaze into the stream, _"Shame though…it'd be an awesome thing if they did…"_

Dora hurriedly pushed that memory fragment away. It was bad enough _she_ was having naughty thoughts. She didn't need Harry's to be displayed as well. She was just about to pull back when the memories shifted into something…darker.

Frowning, Dora pushed slightly and the fragment resolved into a pint size version of Harry. He couldn't have been more than five or six and his arm was locked firmly in the meaty grip of the large walrus that was Vernon Dursley's paw. _"Please, Uncle Vernon, I don't know what happened!"_

" _If I've told you once I've told you a thousand times! NO FREAKISHNESS IN MY HOUSE! There will be no supper for you boy! Not today and not tomorrow either! A bit of hunger will teach you not to wave your_ ABNORMALITY _around in front of decent folk!"_ The walrus shouted, his face turning puce.

" _Please, I haven't eaten since this morning! And it's dark in there. Please, Uncle Vernon!"_ Memory-Harry begged.

"Dora," the familiar dulcet tone of her friend snapped her out of her horrified trace. With a mighty shove, Dora pulled herself out of Harry's mind hard enough for the both of them to wind up sprawled onto the mattress.

Breathing heavily and shaking slightly Dora wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head. "I think that's enough for today…" _A child…He'd been a bloody, fucking_ child _! Dumbledore promised us he had monitoring charms on the kid since he was a baby. He'd promised us that he'd always been able to tell if Harry was in true danger…I'll kill that old man if I find out he knew about this and_ ignored _it!_

"Dora, it's okay," Harry commented quietly as he laid a hand on her shoulder.

Dora scowled and vigorously shook her head. "In no universe, in no time is that _okay_ , Harry. They had no right to do that to you! They had…they should be…You are _never_ going back there!" she spat. "I don't care what anyone else says, if I have to bloody _kidnap_ you this summer I am keeping you away from those… _demon-spawn_!" She turned and locked gazes with him momentarily reeling back at the emotion showing in his eyes. Harry wasn't ashamed like she'd expected. He wasn't scared or defensive. He was…he was _smiling_!

"I didn't _want_ you to know, Dora. But I'm sort of glad that you do. It's…nice to see someone else getting angry about it. I used to think they were right; that I was a freak. You know, for thinking that they were wrong to lock me up like that. If three members of my family thought that it was okay to do that then maybe it was you know?" He shrugged and reached out to take her hand. "I still think like that sometimes when things get bad. I know it's stupid, but it's how I was raised. So…it's nice to have you seething mad like that. Thanks, Dora. You're a better friend than I deserve."

Dora growled at the injustice in the world for a brief moment before shifting forward and pulling Harry into a hug that rivaled Hermione's in strength. "You _deserve_ far better than me, Harry Potter. Don't you ever think otherwise."

* * *

They only had to wait another two days before Dumbledore arrived once again at Grimmauld Place. The visit likely would have started off far easier had the Headmaster deigned to actually _knock_ instead of _ring the bell_. Even the second time around Dora couldn't tell if he was being legitimately forgetful or if it was an intentionally petty slight to remind everyone just who had the power. As much as she wanted to contribute it to the latter…she was willing to concede that it might actually just be Dumbledore getting old.

Either way, it led to the same result. "I really don't see why you leave that horrible portrait up, Sirius," Harry sighed as he stood from the couch with Walburga Black's screeching echoing through the hallways.

"Told you, pup. It has a permanent sticking charm on it. I _can't_ get rid of it!"

Harry shrugged and walked towards the door. "Then just take down the entire wall instead."

Dora and Sirius looked at each other for a good three seconds before bursting out laughing at the simple solution to a frustrating annoyance. Hermione just rolled her eyes and waved Harry off. "Go deal with the Headmaster, Harry. I'll help the old dog learn some architectural principles so we don't bring the house down around us trying to exorcise a vitriolic ghost portrait."

"Thanks, Hermione, you're a real friend," Harry commented with a grin.

As he walked out to greet their guest Dora managed to tag him with a discreet listening charm just before the door closed. She gestured for the others in the room to come closer and turned up the receiving end of the spell. Sirius, Hermione and Ron all crowded around the table in the library room and waited while Harry and Dumbledore exchanged somewhat cool though pleasant greetings.

"Why are we listening in on this?" Ron asked. "I thought Professor Dumbledore's note said he wanted a private consultation."

Hermione raised her eyebrows at the redhead. "Do _you_ trust him still? After everything that has happened in the past few weeks and months? His errors in judgment are piling up too high to ignore, Ron."

Ron shifted uncomfortably. "Well, yeah I mean, okay so he's a bit barmier than usual. But it's still _Dumbledore_. He's not _evil_. We don't need to go around spying on him."

"Says the one who's been attempting to spy on Order meetings for months," Sirius chuckled. "Shush kiddies. We're getting to the juicy bits!"

" _Harry, I feel it is of the utmost importance that you endeavor to learn Occlumency as soon as possible,"_ the soft tone of the Headmaster wafted from Dora's wand. She snorted in amusement. He was behind the game.

" _Really?"_

Apparently the sarcasm laced in the response was completely lost on the Headmaster as when Dumbledore continued he sounded like he was in full on teaching mode. _"Yes. I realize that this is yet another addition to an already strenuous course load, but it is of the utmost importance, my boy. Occlumency is a Mind Art dedicated to shielding oneself from outside influences, primarily mind reading through Legilimency. They are sister arts."_

" _I assume you have a teacher in mind for this then."_ Harry's amused tone was apparent to the entire room.

And yet again, it was entirely lost on Dumbledore. _"Professor Snape will be tutoring you in this subject, Harry."_

Dora's mouth dropped open and she lifted her gaze to peer at the others. She'd known that Dumbledore had assigned someone to tutor him originally and that he hadn't taken well to the lessons, but she'd never gotten the name. _Snape_ teaching a boy he _despised_ Occlumency?! What the hell was the old man _thinking_? He had to have gone insane. It was the only explanation that fit the facts. If she'd still been an Auror she'd have gone to Amelia and asked for a full mental eval on Dumbledore.

" _Sirius had mentioned that Mrs. Tonks was good at it. And Tonks. I'd imagine Moody is an expert. Any particular reason you are choosing the man who hates me to teach me something that is supposed to be dealt with between two people who trust each other?"_ Harry asked. Dora could just picture the flippant wave of his hand and how it hid the shiver of rage running up her friend.

" _Harry, I assure you, Professor Snape is the best Occlumens available besides myself."_

" _And you can't teach me because…oh that's right I forgot, you aren't speaking or looking at me this year. I think this is the longest conversation we've had since the Triwizard Tournament. Would you have even done this much if you hadn't tried to Obliviate one of my best friends a few days ago?"_

The heavy sigh that came over the charm was almost enough to convince Dora she'd been too hard on the old man. Almost. _"Harry, I do what I do to protect you. I have only ever held your best interests at heart."_

" _And yet you keep me in the dark and consistently let me and the people around me get hurt year after year. Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Sirius, Cedric, Dora…I've nearly died for four years straight. Five if you count the Dementors that got through when your 'guard' left this summer. Professor, please don't try to justify all of your actions as being on my account. It makes it seem like you're either incompetent or have been leading me by the nose through one dangerous situation after another. Neither option really bodes well for the future now that Voldemort is back."_

Dora felt like cheering. She'd finally succeeded in helping Harry stand up for himself. It was all she could do to beam with pride and let her hair shift to a bright gold. Hermione was wearing a similar smile though both Ron and Sirius' expressions had darkened as they contemplated what Harry had brought up. _"Harry, I…"_

" _Don't. I don't know if you attempting to groom me for some fight or if you are just ignorant of the things that go on in the castle or at the Dursleys, Headmaster. Either way, it doesn't look good. So please, don't try to justify your actions as being for me."_ The pause was long enough that all three eavesdroppers started to wonder if the charm had broken. Finally Harry sighed and continued. _"I am not a pawn and I have responsibility for my own life and actions – as some of my friends keep trying to drill into my head. You could use the same advice it seems, take responsibility for your choices, Headmaster. You want Snape to teach me Occlumency, fine. I'll try it for a single lesson. If he's willing to put his hatred aside and actually_ teach _I'll come back for more. For some reason I rather doubt that I'll have to clear my schedule."_

Another long pause followed before a chair scraped across the floor and a rustle drifted over the charm. Dumbledore's quiet, sorrow-filled voice followed shortly afterward. _"I am sorry you feel this way, Harry. I can't say it's not justified to some degree. I will endeavor to take a hard look at some of my past actions. I can assure you in the meantime that Professor Snape will handle himself professionally. These lessons are truly important. Expect a note from him the first week of the new term."_

As Dumbledore walked out, Harry couldn't seem to resist a parting shot. _"If they are so important Professor then why are we waiting for another week-and-a-half to start them?"_

There was no answer and the door to the house opened and closed shortly after. A tired looking Harry walked into the library a minute later. He plopped down on the couch between Hermione and Dora and rubbed his forehead. Dora patted his leg. "You did well."

"I agree," Hermione commented. "Your logic was sound and your compromise was agreeable. I feel it will be rather enjoyable to hear about the upcoming lesson if you make decent progress with Dora's tutoring beforehand."

"That's what I was thinking," Harry said nodding. "Maybe I'll get lucky and knock him on his arse when he tries to mind rape me." He paused and eyed the group. "You know you guys could've just asked me before setting a listening charm. I pretty much expected it at this point, but still…"

Hermione grimaced and nodded. "Sorry, it just seemed like you'd think we were spying on _you_ when it was the Headmaster...We should have asked."

Ron smirked and slapped a hand on his thigh. "Stop worrying about old news and worry about the future! You give it to Snape, Harry! Surprise the greasy old bat and show him what happens when he tries to pick a fight!"

Sirius scowled deeper and crossed his arms leaning back into his chair. "I should've banned him from the house…both of them…"

"Sirius?" Harry asked raising his head and gazing at his godfather. Dora looked between the two of them several times before the connection clicked and she gasped. Only one thing would get Sirius that upset at something so stereotypically Dumbledore. Snape's reaction to damaging events...or more specifically Snape's _lack_ of reaction. Her hair lost all its color and flared white briefly before she twisted and hugged Harry as tight as she could. "Err…what am I missing?"

"Snape hates you," she mumbled into his shoulder.

"How is this a surprise?" Ron asked.

Dora shook her head and continued softly. "If he saw what I've been seeing he'd brush it off. He'd ignore it or say you deserved it. He'd treat it like it was _nothing_."

"I know," Harry replied as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her tighter against him. "I told you how much I appreciate your understanding Dora. I wouldn't ever expect something like that from Snape. It's not a big deal."

"It is, Harry," Sirius said, his voice so low it was almost too quiet to hear. "I saw enough of the Dursleys that night before your third year. I can guess at what your friend has seen that has her so upset. They tried to get you to suppress your magic didn't they?"

Harry nodded and Dora just squeezed him tighter. "Have you heard of an Obscurus, pup?" Sirius asked. From the corner of her eye Dora saw Hermione hang her head and carefully place both hands in her lap. The brunette had obviously worked out enough of Harry's past from their reactions to the Occlumency sessions lately. That she'd held her peace in respect for Harry's feelings on the matter was no surprise.

It was somewhat surprisingly, Ron who answered Sirius first. "I thought those were a myth. Something parents told their kids to scare them at night."

Dora shook her head. "Not a myth. A really powerful one almost broke the Statute of Secrecy in America a few decades back. Harry, when kids suppress their magic due to abuse and neglect it morphs into something…dark and dangerous. It lashes out on its own and destroys everything around it before eventually killing the child too." The room was quiet for several long seconds before Dora continued. "Snape should never be the first choice into your head because no one should ever belittle what you avoided through sheer small-minded, cruel, stubbornness. If you'd been even slightly less defiant or determined as a kid, you could've destroyed that entire city block when things eventually came to a head. And he'd bowl right over that probably just saying that you 'deserved it for being arrogant like your father'." Harry was quiet though the racing of his heart against her ear was enough for Dora to know she'd gotten her message across.

"I'm certainly not going to be one to defend the Headmaster anymore," Hermione said slowly. "But what if he honestly didn't realize…just how bad it apparently has been…" Dora wanted to let Harry go so she could hug the other girl and whisper about how a preteen couldn't be expected to find signs of abuse that even trained adults kept missing year after year. She just couldn't bring herself to slide away from Harry's arm yet.

Sirius sighed. "It's possible I suppose, but by this point he knows enough that he should be thinking twice about choosing Snape. Too much has happened and too much has slipped through cracks. Dumbledore is too distracted to care about details it seems. He's taken on too much and it's showing in what he's dropping by the wayside. We all need to make sure to take what he says with a grain of salt now. I'll talk with Andi, Minerva, Arthur, Shack and Moody and pass on the message. You kids try and relax okay. It's Christmas in a few days."

"Yeah, yeah it is," Harry murmured.

* * *

"Merry Christmas!" Dora awoke to Harry's shout and a banging on their bedroom door. Normally she'd be the first up on Christmas morning, but with things being as they were it hadn't seemed worth setting an alarm for.

"Go away! Some of us are trying to get our beauty sleep in here!" she shouted back making no move to change positions.

The laugh from beyond the door gave evidence to Harry's opinion of her remark. "Says the metamorph. Get dressed, Dora, I have a present for you and it's on a timetable!"

"It's probably food. I bet he cooked breakfast for us all," Ginny mumbled sitting up and stretching. "I call first shower afterwards. Never miss Harry's breakfasts if you have a choice. They're to die for. He could put any house elf out of business."

Dora frowned, barely stopping herself from rebuking the redhead. It wasn't Ginny's fault that she had no idea where Harry's cooking skills were learned. Or how many burns he'd received to earn them as a child.

"You've woken half the house, Harry," Hermione called out with a yawn. "We're on our way down."

Dora spent the next few minutes quickly running through her morning routine with the other two while trying to figure out what Harry's 'gift' could possibly be. She doubted it was food, they'd have smelled it by now if he'd gotten breakfast ready. But what else could possibly have a timer component? It wasn't a spellbook or an enchantment. Any enchantment that only lasted for a few hours was basically pointless as a gift. Maybe he'd gotten her a short term conjured pony? Nah, that was stupid – she wasn't a pony type of girl.

Still trying to puzzle out the mystery, Dora waltzed into the living room and stopped midstep. Her younger…older… _other_ self was leaning against the armchair and chatting the morning away with Harry. A sinking feeling hit Dora as she desperately started to pray that Harry _hadn't_ done what she was beginning to suspect. That sinking quickly became a lead weight as she noticed a bow tied in Tonks' hair. "Shite," she muttered.

The terrible twosome finally noticed Dora's arrival and turned to smile at her with identical grins. Harry struck a pose and proudly flung his arms out towards Tonks. "Tada! Merry Christmas, Dora! I got you a fully trained metamorph eager to help you learn finer control points for the next three hours!"

"Don't I make a wonderful present?" Tonks asked holding herself in a regal stance with head held high. She reached up to fluff the bow and smirked. "Harry thought the bow was too much, but I think the effect would be totally lost without it."

 _She's not wrong. It definitely makes the joke feel complete and it certainly – stop mentally complimenting the bow!_ Dora shook her head and forced a smile. "Aww, you shouldn't have, Harry." _Really, really, shouldn't have. This is going to be soooo much fun…_ She turned to Tonks and swapped through a few hair colors and styles in rapid succession before ending on a two-tone bob. "The bow _is_ definitely a nice touch, especially considering you're standing next to the tree. Though concerning the actual lessons, I think you'll be a bit surprised with what I can do already, Ms. Tonks."

Tonks grimaced and hurriedly waved her hand. "Ms. Tonks is my mother. It's just Tonks. Any friend of Harry and Sirius is a friend of mine. I'll admit, I'm impressed by the dual color. I didn't actually think that was possible. But there is _a lot_ more to being a metamorph than just hair and colors. I can't promise to have you swapping bodies in a flash by the end of the morning, but I can definitely get you to noses." She punctuated her statement with a grin and a morph to a pig's nose.

Dora raised her eyebrows and grinned back. Maybe she could have a _bit_ of fun with this. "Impressive pig. But can you do snorkack?" She morphed her nose and mouth out into an approximation of Luna's drawings of a snorkack. The tiny muzzle looked more like a hedgehog than she'd intended but it wasn't too bad considering she was working from the sketches of the imagination of a girl slightly odder than the norm.

"Someone's been reading too much of the Quibbler I see," Tonks remarked. She shifted to a horse's maw and gave a short whinny before smirking. The expression looked highly comical on the still present muzzle.

"More like hung out with the secondary editor." Dora morphed her ears into miniature elephant ones and playfully flapped them. "I listen well when she talks. Girl's got some strange views, but she's right more often than not."

"You _are_ good. It took me until I hit eighteen before I could go cross-species. Word to the wise," Tonks said dropping her morph back into human and nodding towards Dora, "don't take it further than two specific body parts at a time with non-human stuff. Anything more and the magic starts going all funky and you could wind up caught halfway. Being a metamorphmagus doesn't automatically translate into being an animagus unfortunately."

Dora briefly shuddered in sync with Tonks. The memory of _that_ disastrous visit to St. Mungo's would _never_ leave her nightmares. The only small comfort was that none of her friends had been able to recognize it was her during that incident. "Good to know. Thanks for the tip."

"Anytime. So it's not often you find two metamorphs in the same country and somewhat similar ages. I'm looking forward to this! I actually get to teach the next generation!"

Dora swallowed hard. Maybe she should play it down a bit to make Tonks feel better? No, that wouldn't go over well. Harry and Hermione had probably already made it well known how good Dora was at basic shape changing. Maybe she could let Tonks 'teach' her a few tricks to holding morphs while sleeping instead? That seemed a reasonable compromise.

"So I hear you morphed into McG when tricking Dumbledore," Tonks stated. "Can you do that again for me now? I'd like to gauge where you are finesse wise on human to human transformations."

"And on that note, I'll leave you women to it while make breakfast," Harry said with a wave.

He was barely out of the room before Dora had morphed into McGonagall again. Her morning lounging clothes didn't fit the taller frame at all leading to a rather comical impression of the stern teacher. "Shouldn't you be in detention, Miss Tonks? Mr. Filch was quite adamant that the exploding toilet was your handiwork." She was rather proud of the Scottish lilt. It had taken a long time for Dora to get that hint of an accent right.

"Oh that is priceless!" Tonks exclaimed clapping. "I see why Dumbledore was fooled. Good speed too. You paid far more attention to your ability training than I did apparently. I'm starting to wonder just who's the teacher here." She waggled her eyebrows and chuckled.

Dora let the morph go and shrugged. She started glancing sheepishly around the room in an effort to avoid staring at Tonks. "I got a lot of help with the McGonagall one from Hermione. She helped me iron out the details. It's not really a form I wanted to forget partway through. She's probably already going to kill me when I get back."

Tonks laughed. "Nope. Minerva was super impressed that you both not only got her spot-on, but also managed to bypass the Fidelius. She was talking with Flitwick about submitting both your names for an Order of Merlin Third Class award once the thing with You Know Who is finished. I'm sure she'll pretend to be pissed, but don't believe it for a second. You earned an ally with that stunt."

Dora cocked her head to the side and her mouth dropped open slightly. _That_ was certainly outside any betting pool she'd been in on. "Um…okay. Wow. Okay…"

"So what questions do you have? There's gotta something you can't do well. Teens have hormones raging after all. It plays hell with your powers right? I know I tore more than one shirt when I woke up to find my breasts had swelled four sizes. Then there was the time I fell asleep in class and woke up with hair that would make Rapunzel green with envy! Thank god it was Binns; managed to fix that one before anyone noticed."

Dora snorted. She'd forgotten about the Great Bazooka Incidents. "I've snapped a few bras. Haven't had to buy new shirts thankfully. I'm low enough on funds as it is."

Tonks nodded. "Ah bras. Gladrags can really help you there with their autoadjusting ones. What's your natural size? I'll grab you a pair. The trick with it is to only slowly expand your chest so the bra can adjust. Don't let Harry push you to balloon them for a laugh. I mean, sure balloon them for a laugh, but just make sure you do it slowly enough for the bra to keep up instead of zero to 100."

"Harry doesn't seem interested in large breasts." Dora resolutely maintained her normal color and refused to allow a blush to spread. "And I'm a 32C in base."

"32C, roger. I'm 34 so I might even be able to lend you one of the new ones I just got. As long as you don't mind the sexy red lacy types." Tonks' smirk widened and Dora sensed a 'witty' taunt the size of a lorry barreling full speed towards her. "After all, if _Harry_ isn't going to see it anytime soon you could always show it off to _Hermione_." Dora felt her face heat up at that comment. Forget the lorry that was a bloody train. "That girl's just as cute as our resident hero and she seems almost as into you as he is."

"I am _not_ getting involved with Hermione," Dora muttered. "Things are complicated enough as it is. My love life is going to stay perfectly solitary. At least for this year."

"Well in that case I can teach you to do this thing with your finger that'll leave you panting and cross-eyed in no time." Dora resisted the urge to run and hide though it was a close enough battle that her legs actually twitched. God had she ever been _this_ bad?!

Clearing her throat Dora swallowed her escalating reply in favor of shifting things into a different direction. One far less focused on sex. "Speaking of beds, could you give me a few pointers on maintaining morphs while sleeping? It's a bit annoying having to readjust everything when I wake up every day."

Tonks nodded. "Sure I can do that. A good deal of it is mental ordering. Occlumency helps some though it's really just the meditation exercises that are important there. The rest of it involves some tricks of the trade. Or my tricks of the trade I guess. I have no idea what other metamorphmagi use. No one ever really thought to write that one down which is stupid if you ask me."

The following three hours were surprisingly enjoyable for Dora. Tonks' jokes and teasing were unending, but it served to loosen Dora up considerably. This year had been so stressful she'd forgotten why she loved to be the feisty wild card so much. It gave everyone an outlet and helped channel attention away from her. People didn't really laugh at the _jokester_. They laughed at the people the jokester pointed out and the psychological sleight of hand was subtle, but effective. Tonks was simply put: fun.

They spent most of the remaining time Tonks had free imparting interesting tidbits and advice. Dora did her best to slow her grasp of the 'new' information to a believable level. It had mixed success and by the end she knew she'd gone a bit too far too fast. She just hadn't felt right fully hiding her true abilities from Tonks.

"You know, I should really be suspicious of your level of skill coupled with your age," Tonks commented as she pushed up from the sofa and stretched. Dora blinked rapidly and futilely searched for something to say. "To be perfectly frank, Dora, I don't really care if you're exactly who you say you are." That stopped Dora's thought processes cold and she could only stare at Tonks.

Tonks for her part walked closer and laid a soft hand on Dora's shoulder before smiling. "You're doing good for those teens. You and Hermione showed up and had Harry downstairs in under an hour. She's finally bucking her authority worship, he's showing some backbone. Ron is willing to go against his mother and Ginny has finally realized she has some competition for the position of Potter Girlfriend."

Dora risked a small smile at that. "Still not dating him. And I'm not _trying_ to do all that…It's just sort of, _happening_."

Tonks' eyebrows rose. "Yeah, you keep trying to convince yourself of that sweetie. Look, they trust you. The other day I watched five teenagers and a convict stand between you and the most powerful, most respected wizard of our age. That's good enough for me." Her hand squeezed ever so slightly and Dora got the implied threat with minimal assistance. "But if it turns out you're trying to hurt or subvert those kids I swear to Merlin, Morgana, God and Goddess I will not rest until I find out exactly who you are, where you come from and who trained you. Then I'll _personally_ end you and any cohorts. Deal?"

Dora reached up and slowly removed Tonks' hand. Staring up into her double's assertive eyes was probably the most surreal moment in her entire life. "We both want to protect them. We're just doing it in different ways." She paused and shrugged, the smile that spread across her lips was quickly echoed on Tonks'. "I really do appreciate those tips. The ones on getting around shifting while having a nightmare are sheer gold. If you have time I'd be open to doing this more every once in awhile." It wasn't even a lie. She'd forgotten about how some of the better Auror coping methods applied equally well to metamorphmagi.

"I'd like that too," Tonks replied. She gathered her small bag and started towards the door with a wave. "Take care yourself until then, Dora. Let me know if there are any developments on the relationship front or if you need me to show you that finger thing!"

* * *

The rest of the day passed relatively without incident. Sirius even deigned to let Molly Weasley into the house in order to celebrate it. How Arthur had managed to convince his wife to behave Dora had no clue, but it worked. Mostly. Well enough at least. Molly steadfastly refused to look at or speak to her and she was quite curt with Sirius, but she held her tongue. It was honestly more than Dora had thought the matriarch capable of. Molly meant well, she just never really seemed to think before speaking. It was the same problem with her youngest son…

Dora groaned as Ron launched into another long winded explanation about the benefits of his new chess set over his old one. The only difference she had seen what that this one was colored bright orange to match the Cannons. She'd quietly conferred with the twins and they had readily agreed.

"We're trying to keep our spending to a minimum until the shop opens," George murmured. "Didn't seem quite right to stiff the family completely though so we hit on recoloring our old set."

"Redid the battle chants and war cries too we did," Fred commented. "He'll love when the pawns start singing the team motto just prior to the first move."

Dora snickered at that. "I'm not sure what's more amusing – that you two are so cheap or that that is basically the perfect gift for Ron."

Fred shrugged and smirked. "Ron's expanding his interests a bit this year. You've been hanging out with Harry and Hermione too much to notice, but he's actually buckling down on his studies."

"Uh huh, I'll believe that when I see it," Dora said with raised eyebrows.

"Well, by buckling down, we really just mean he's actually _doing_ his homework before asking for Hermione's help with it. Baby steps," George shrugged. "He's also stopped insulted Slytherins. Did you see him at the last DA meeting before the hols? He was actually complimenting Daphne's form and helping Tracey to improve her aim."

Dora's mouth fell open as she stared between the twins. "You're taking the mickey out of me."

Harry plopped onto the couch beside her and laughed. "They're not. I took Neville's bludgeoner to the chest because I was too busy staring in shock at him."

"Wow…I need to pay better attention to our friends…" Dora murmured. She cast another critical gaze at Ron. The redhead seemed to be wrapping up his impassioned speech and met Dora's eyes with a wide grin. She couldn't help the small answering smile. Maybe she _could_ make a man out of the kid.

"So how'd the lesson go this morning?" the question from beside her had Dora shaking her head and refocusing.

"Sorry? Come again?"

Harry chuckled and pointed to her hair. "I asked how the lesson went. Did Tonks have anything that could help you at all? Or is one metamorph's methods too different to apply to another? We weren't quite sure one way or the other."

Dora shook her head and smiled. "No, she helped. I already have a decent grasp of most of the basics, but she showed me a few tricks that can help in a pinch. Thanks for arranging that, Harry."

He shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. "I know you kind of seemed to be avoiding her a bit, but I figured if you just both sat down together for a bit the awkwardness and shyness would melt away."

"You were right. I think I was probably just intimidated by her a tad. No more avoiding. Tonks is fun." Dora nearly patted herself on the back for saying that with a straight face. That she was willing to admit Luna was probably right and she was more 'Dora' than 'Tonks' at this point did nothing to stop the comments from being hilariously self-flattering. Ah, if only more people in the room could get the joke!

"Speak of the devil," George said before he stood with a loud clap and huge grin. Tonks had just walked into the large living room with Hestia beside her and a slightly less grumpy than usual Moody stomping in behind them. "Everyone has arrived! Welcome to the Black Family Christmas friends, family and guests!"

Sirius laughed and shook his head. "Shouldn't that be my line?"

"Ah but our delightful host has been far too busy prepping this celebration to bother prepping a speech, so my brother and I have graciously stepped up to take the burden."

Fred stood and spread his arms. "This year has been difficult for everyone to varying degrees so we thought that a bit of levity, love and fun would be what we all needed right now! So in the spirit of Christmas we are unveiling one of our newest inventions. It's called the Mistletoe Snares!"

Dora's eyebrows rose as George waved his wand and three floating bouquets of mistletoe surged into the room hovering around seemingly at random for a few moments before coming to rest over several pairs of attendees throughout the room. One settled over Ginny and Moody – which immediately brought a smirk to Dora's face. She knew Moody well enough to know he'd secretly have a good laugh about that.

_Rule Number 91: If you have a chance to relax and enjoy yourself…take it._

The second bough settled above Hermione and Tonks of all people. Hermione glared up at the plant before rolling her eyes while Tonks just chuckled. It came as no surprise when the third bundle wound up floating accusingly over her own head between her and Harry.

George cleared his throat and waited until he had everyone's attention before speaking. "The Snares are enchanted – like everything we do. It's a simple enough jinx. You can't leave the area of the Snare until you kiss your partner." His grin widened and he nodded towards his sister. "Ginevra, my dear sweet little sister, if you would be so kind as to demonstrate."

Ginny arched her eyebrows at her brother and made a show of fingering her wand for a long moment before rolling her eyes and standing with a heavy sigh. "Totally getting you back for this George."

"We fully expect that," Fred commented. "Also, this is totally worth it."

Molly scowled and looked ready to erupt before Hestia laid a hand on her shoulder and leaned down to whisper in her ear. Molly's scowl deepened though she held her peace and continued to glare at her twin sons.

Moody for his part also seemed to be in on the joke as he barked out a laugh and cast his magical eye's gaze towards the mistletoe. "Decent spellwork boys. Get together with me later and we'll see if we can't make it excellent. Let's get this over with, Weasley."

Ginny crossed her arms and gave an exaggerated huff. "Wow, just what every girl wants to hear before they kiss a man." Rolling her shoulders back she stretched up and lightly brushed her lips across Moody's cheek before striking a defiant look towards her brothers who just flashed her a large thumbs up.

Dora joined in the roomful of chuckling at that. George bowed to his sister and continued the speech. "Of course, what _type_ of kiss is up for interpretation. No need to break up couples or make things awkward due to little pranks."

Sirius smirked and turned to his relative. "Cousin? I do believe you are up."

Tonks' answering grin promised danger and Dora had to hold her laughter. She knew how she would likely react to such an obvious taunt. The only real answer was to up the game.

Tonks did not disappoint. She twisted to Hermione, briefly holding the brunette's gaze and seeking permission. Apparently she found it because the next moment Hermione and Tonks' lips were locked together. Gasps sounded throughout the room and Dora saw Harry's eyes widen slightly. For her part Hermione certainly didn't seem to be adverse to it as one hand actually twitched upwards towards Tonks' waist before they broke the kiss. It had maybe lasted for five seconds, but that was enough to leave Hermione flushed red and sinking back into the couch in an unsuccessful attempt to hide while Tonks just smirked and leaned against the wall with arms crossed. She caught Dora's eye and raised an eyebrow in challenge.

Dora twisted to Harry and curled her lip in amusement. "Feel like playing it up?"

Harry laughed and nodded. "That seems to be the name of the game doesn't it. Fair warning, I don't exactly have experience here."

"Eh, just follow my lead, wonder boy." Dora placed one hand on either side of Harry's face and leant down to capture his lips with hers. A barely felt gasp on his part saw his mouth open just enough for her to slip her tongue in to do battle with his own. Harry hadn't been lying when he said he was inexperienced. Previously that would have been a surprise, but now that she knew more about the young man it made perfect sense. His lack of experience was more than made up for via enthusiasm. He leaned forward battling for control of the kiss. Dora let out a low moan as Harry pushed her back just enough to wrap an arm around her waist and pull her flush against him. She let him take the lead and felt him lean her against the couch's armrest. He was strong and safe and amazing and…Dora felt her mind drift to wonderful places of what could be if she could just _let go_ and…

Rearing back, Dora clamped down on those thoughts with a knife edge. Their lips parted and Dora shook her head, casting her eyes down towards the couch, swallowing hard. She couldn't afford to get involved. Not with anyone. _Especially_ not with _Harry_. She would only hurt him. She was lying to him at every step and when it got out – because it _would_ , she'd have to tell him eventually – he was going to hate her and anything she did to get closer to him _now_ would only serve to drive that wedge in deeper _later_.

Harry laid a hand on her leg and squeezed softly. Dora's hand reached out and – quite against all of her higher brain functions' screaming denials – squeezed his back.

* * *

The days following Christmas were some of the most difficult that Dora could remember. The relatively small quarters of Grimmauld place didn't leave her much room to hide from Harry. Not that she found herself particularly wanting to do so. Nor was she _willing_ to considering how fangs of jealously bared whenever she walked away only to find that Ginny had latched onto him by the time she returned. If she'd ever doubted Hermione and the twins' assessment previously she didn't anymore. The redhead's determination was impressive even if it didn't seem to process for Harry that she was interested in him.

Hermione had started to shy slightly away from both Harry and Dora since Christmas as well. It was almost comical watching how the brunette jumped and hurried to apologize any time their hands brushed in the bathroom. Dora had taken Tonks up on the offer of the lacy red bra and it'd almost caused Hermione to have a coronary when she'd shown it off. Dora would've had far more fun teasing her friend about her apparent newly realized attraction to witches if she could get her own love life in shape.

 _My own_ lack _of life live. Lack. I can't have a love life. I can't. I won't. Not until I've made sure everyone survives this school year. Then I can fall into his arms and – NO then I can explain why I did what I did and accept my just punishment. Yes, my punishment. Hmm, I wonder what his hands would feel like cupping my red bot-STOP IT DORA!_ She scowled and violently shook her head trying unsuccessfully to rid it of the naughty images.

"Doxy fly too close?" Hermione asked parting Dora's sudden curtain of hair hiding her face. The other girl's searching gaze and questing fingers sent new images of Hermione giving Harry pointers on the best technique to administer Dora's 'punishment'.

"Nope, nope, I got it. I'm good. Nothing to worry about here. I'm fine here. How are you?" Dora babbled out. _Oh great now I'm mixing my pop culture metaphors I'm so flustered._ This had to end. She had to do something. She needed to go for a run. Or to train. Or to destroy some dummies. Or to get laid. Or to – _BAD DORA!_ "I just need some water. Be right back!"

She was halfway down the stairs to the kitchen when she stopped short and nearly fell the rest of the way down. The sight she'd just skipped merrily past would've been worth a few bruises and was more than enough to send any lingering stray thoughts running to the recesses of her mind.

"Hey, Dora," Sirius said waving with one hand as he layered spackle on the wall with the other. "Careful when you head to the side room off the kitchen. I gave Kreacher a bigger lair so he could have somewhere to put mother. That section is warded to hell and back with silencing charms, but better safe than sorry."

"You…you actually took down the entire wall…" Dora could only goggle at the exposed beams on half of the central wall near the entranceway.

"Yup. Remus helped me tear it down this morning. Tonks was helping me put it back up, but it became more dangerous than I expected letting her near the tools. My cousin is deadly with a hammer. I saw my life flash before my eyes!" She could understand that. She made it a rule to keep anything remotely related to home improvement away from her flat. There was no need to tempt fate. "So she's down in the basement. You know I forgot we _had_ a basement? Apparently Kreacher unsealed it as 'thanks' for not burning mother's portrait to ash. He looked pretty disappointed when there wasn't a ravenous beast inside waiting to eat me."

Dora finally managed to wrap her mind around the conversation and somewhat restarted her mouth. "So uh, what is down there?"

"Old training room. They built it for Regulus when he joined – when he chose his side. Kreacher moved a few trinkets down there this morning. Some old things Reg had and some horribly gaudy jewelry. Feel free to explore if you want."

"Sure. Thanks." She bypassed the kitchen and headed to the new door off the kitchen. The stairs to the basement were hewn from rock and seemed strong enough to support an ox. The room itself practically reeked of magical protection wards. This place could've been used for a fallout shelter. "Bloody hell…"

"Agreed," Tonks commented waving hello. "Talk about your serious training room. Pun unintended for once. This one room probably cost more than the entire house."

"You can say that again." Dora cast a critical eye around the room. She saw the pile of items that Sirius had mentioned sitting in a small shrine in the corner of the room with a heavy locket lovingly placed on the top but much of the rest of the room was bare. It was the enchantments layered into the walls that were the real treasure. "This would work…"

"Need to blow off some steam?"

"You could…say that I suppose," Dora agreed shrugging.

Tonks just smirked and jutted her chin at the stairs. "Ah, trying to avoid jumping a certain boy perhaps? Or a certain girl? Or both? Or were you looking to jump me? I know I'm pretty much irresistible but I like to get to know someone a bit before I go for a roll in the sack with them. Just saying."

Dora groaned. She did _not_ remember being _that_ bad. "Look do you want to duel or not? Cause I really need to throw some spells around before I start to scream."

Tonks laughed and gestured to her workout attire. "I'm way ahead of you. Housework is dangerous. And frustrating. And frustratingly dangerous." She paused and tapped her foot for a second before shrugging. "Ground rules: nothing that'll leave permanent marks, nothing will actually _hurt_ beyond bruises and nothing that will cause anyone else to come running."

"Deal."

Dora quickly stripped to her sports bra and shorts and launched into several rounds of practice duels with Tonks. It was…supremely odd to say the least and not something she would ever have consented to do prior to a few days ago. As it stood once the initial discomfort was surpassed there was actually a great deal of learning taking place – on both sides it seemed.

Watching how Tonks jumped around the room and dodged the spells Dora sent to her brought to light a bit of her own fighting style she'd never consciously realized she used. Whenever Tonks moved to actually start a round, her muscles grew slightly more pronounced, her curves lessened, her hair shortened and stayed flat, her breasts shrank. The more Dora noticed it the more she realized that she did the same thing. It was so natural she couldn't tell if it was a general metamorphmagus thing or if it was just something she'd just started unconsciously doing years ago during Auror training.

Either way, if definitely helped. They were faster and more nimble than if nothing had been altered and their centers of balance seemed a bit easier to maintain. It still wasn't perfect as evidenced by the bruises and welts each ended up receiving by the end of the session, but it was impressive all the same.

"We should find more metamorphagi to fight against," Dora panted as she fought to catch her breath after they'd called it quits. "That was a workout."

"It was indeed," Tonks murmured. Her mouth quirked to the side as she looked at Dora out of the corner of her eye. The thoughtful expression vanished almost as quickly as it had come up and Tonks stretched her arms high. "You're pretty good for your age. That Defense Association you and the others run is doing a bang up job."

"Yeah well we have to with the Umbitch present," Dora sighed. She could worry about Tonks being suspicious later. "I'm going to have to get rid of her soon before she decides to step up her game. She's gotta know there is no way that parents will stand to have her in the school after this year ends. The grades alone from anyone not in the DA will be enough to form a lynch mob. She's working with limited time and she's just barely smart enough to realize it."

Tonks shrugged. "I think you give the Toad too much credit there, Dora. Alright I have to head in for my shift. If I don't see you again before term starts keep in touch. And be careful not to bite off more than you can chew."

Dora tossed a salute to Tonks as the latter walked up the stairs. She chuckled at the irony of events. Who would've thought she'd end up being friends with a different version of herself? It had only been a few months since she'd had her accident and already she was different enough from the woman that just walked up the stairs to honestly be comfortable thinking of Tonks as an _alternate_ instead of as _herself_. The difference was subtle, but it was clear as day. "Luna is going to have a field day with this stuff when I get back to school."

Grabbing the rest of her clothes, Dora quickly climbed the stairs and hopped in the shower. The warm water soothed her aching muscles and she stretched with a languid sigh. That workout had really helped loosen her up. She'd almost forgotten how good it felt to get in a good sparring session with a skilled opponent. With any luck the DA group would be giving her a run for her money by the end of the year as well. She had just gotten dressed and was still toweling off her hair when she walked down the stairs and ran smack into Harry coming out of one of the side rooms.

"Ow, sorry, Harry," Dora muttered rubbing her forehead to get the sting out of it.

Harry idly massaged his own and smiled back at her. "One of the hazards of being friends with a klutz is getting used to random bruises. Can we talk for a minute?" he asked gesturing back towards the room he'd just left.

Dora shuffled her feet and her hand nearly lost its grip on the towel, but she recovered quickly enough to cover the movement. "Sure. Fair warning, I promised to help Hermione with dinner in a bit."

"Okay. I'll be quick."

When they were inside and the door was closed again Harry awkwardly shifted his weight from foot to foot and nodded towards her hair. "Can't you shift slightly to get it dry again? How come you towel it?"

Dora blinked at him in momentary confusion before chuckling. "Sadly it's not that easy. I could just use a regular spell to dry it I suppose, but it always seemed a bit of a waste of effort. I kind of like drying my hair the normal way. It's…a time to think I guess."

Harry nodded. She idly wondered if he had heard a word she'd said. She probably wouldn't have in his position. Especially not if he was still somewhat damp from the shower…with all those glorious glistening droplets of water beading over his blazing green eyes and…and she was completely screwed if he planned what she half expected. Totally and completely screwed.

"So it's New Year's in like two hours," he commented running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, it is." _Please don't ask. Please don't ask. Please don't ask._

"I've been thinking about this for a while," Harry continued. "And um when you knocked on the door here the other week it kind of cemented a lot of things for me. I mean, I've always known you and Hermione care about how I feel and stuff, but I don't think I quite realized just _how much_ until the other day. And it…it feels good to know that I'm not alone in that way."

Dora swallowed hard. "You're not alone, Harry. Not while we're still breathing."

"I know. But that's not what I meant by that. I meant – oh bugger I am screwing this up to hell and back. I meant I'm not alone in having strong feelings and that I'd run to snap you out of a bad place like you did me and that I want to be able to do that and not feel guilty not that I feel guilty but I mean I want it to be legitimate and oh here I go doing it again and I'm completely babbling so I'm just going to shut up for a moment and try to get back on track." Harry stopped his rambling and took a deep breath letting it out slowly. Dora couldn't help the small ghost of a smile that flitted onto her lips at his wandering words. He was so adorable when he was awkward. "Dora Kirk, I'd be honored if you would go on a date with me. I know we can't do much until we get back to Hogwarts, but I would like to kiss you again without the mistletoe excuse."

Two sides went to all out war within her. One army had 'Duty', 'Age', 'Complicated' and 'Bad Fucking Idea' emblazoned on their tunics. The second front chanted 'Amazing Man', 'Caring', 'Sweet and Considerate' and 'Sexy as Hell'. The spells flew, the swords clashed, the war cries rang through her mind.

She was frozen long enough that Harry managed to grab his Gryffindor courage by the horns and stepped forward, gently laying a hand on her waist and another on her back as he leaned down. His head paused a bare millimeter above her lips and the cannons of her heart's army blasted out their staccato blasts. He dipped down to close the distance before the battle was decided and his enticing lips met her own.

The kiss was just as wonderful as the Christmas one had been. She hesitated a moment before pushing her head up to latch onto him like a dying woman. There was no tongue to this like before, simply the earnest efforts of a young man trying to make himself heard to the young woman he sought. The warmth of his hand on her side begged her on and Dora could only feel that instant of bliss as Harry tried to push all of his feelings through his lips and into hers. The moment was almost perfect.

Then the first army in her head rallied and brought forth their largest spell yet: 'Liar'. _This isn't fair to him._

Dora pulled back and twisted away to face the door. The towel fell to the floor as she wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm sorry. I can't. I just…I'm only going to hurt you and I can't." Without waiting to see his face or hear the reply she knew would be coming Dora fled.

She ran to Buckbeak's room and swiftly cast a wandless locking charm at the door behind her. Shuffling forward to collapse against the hippogriff's side she let out a watery laugh at the irony of the situation. She'd come to this house and found Harry in just this specific position. And now here she was, one of the last few nights at Grimmauld Place and she was looking to be one hiding out with an overgrown horse-bird. "Some awesome meddler I am huh, wings? I find the perfect boy and I can't be with him."

The snort of derision from Buckbeak sounded far too much like a rebuke for her liking. She lifted her head from her hands and glared at him. "Don't you start. I _can't_! It's going to be worse if I do! He'll break! _I'll_ break!"

Buckbeak huffed and shifted enough that one wing reached back and smacked the back of her head. "Ow! That hurt!" Her complaints were met with a second smack. "Will you stop that! I'm trying to cry in peace here! You should be a good pet and commiserate with me!" Buckbeak just snorted.

"Stupid hippogriff," she muttered and settled back against his side. "I just…I've lost everyone, Feathers. I can't let him in. If I let him I'll have to tell him sooner rather than later. I'll _want_ to tell him. I need to be able to keep this a secret until the year is over. Until I know I saved them. Until I know I stopped it. Until I know I _meant something_! I can't…I can't risk the future because I can't keep my mitts off a boy!"

The soft trill above her and nudge against her shoulder did little to comfort her. "Charlie and Harry were the only two males my age who never asked me to be perfect for them. And Harry isn't my age! Because I'm – I'm – bloody fuck I don't even know what age I am anymore!" Luna was right. If talking and dueling with Tonks had taught her anything it was that she really _wasn't_ that woman anymore. She was Dora.

Was that enough? Was it enough to make a difference? Was it enough to tip the scales?

"I…If I step aside Hermione will be there. He'll be happy." There was that nudge on her shoulder again. Bloody bird. "I can be okay with that. I can. I can…be…Fuck…I _want_ to be _selfish_!"

Dora hung her head in her hands and kept it there for a long time trying to stop thinking entirely. This wasn't something that should be thought and puzzled and turned over again and again. It was too complicated to keep twisting. She needed to do something. One way or the other, this battle needed to be settled tonight. Either she was a time tossed woman saving a friend or she was a selfish bitch with memories of a bad future trying to save her boyfriend who'd probably hate her in a few months.

She heard a distant gong sound before she finally came to a decision and the armies in her mind laid down their arms to shake over the mutual agreement.

Standing she turned to Buckbeak. The cocked head and wide eyes from the hippogriff met rolling human eyes. "Thanks for letting me sit with you. I still think you're pushy and mean. But thanks." A chuff was her only answer and the gong sounded again. Nodding to the magical beast, Dora ran across to the door and took the stairs two at a time. She paid enough attention to make sure she didn't trip and break her neck but was quietly counting the clock's chimes.

She tore around the bend of the living room at the eleventh ring and cast her eyes in a flash survey of the room. Finally, she sighted in on her target and she sprinted forward. A bewildered and thoroughly confused Harry Potter stared up at her as Dora leaped over the chair in her way. She balled her hands into fists in his shirt and dragged him to his feet. She had a brief glimpse of slightly puffy red eyes before the final twelfth chime started to issue forth. Yanking him forward, Dora crushed her body against his and shifted heights just enough to smash her lips against his.

He was still for a long moment and the ringing was dying away before he reacted. But react he did. Strong hands radiating safety and warmth circled her and pulled her in even tighter against his chest. The moan that escaped her was joined by his own and she felt a surge of joy and passion spread through her entire body from the places he touched.

This would hurt later, but she'd always lived for the moment before. And she'd live for the moment now. Voldemort, Bellatrix, Dumbledore, Molly, Tonks, none of them mattered. She was going to be selfish for as long as she could.

Pulling back slightly, Dora blinked away the sheen over her eyes and stared into the brilliant green orbs across from her. "I'm sorry for running. I would love to go on a date with you and kiss you again, Harry Potter."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Much thanks to RhysThornbery for his beta assistance on this.
> 
> For clarification purposes in case the text wasn't clear enough, Fred, George, Ginny, Moody and Hestia all knew beforehand who the first couple under the mistletoe would be and how they'd get out from under it.
> 
> \/\/\/\/
> 
> Mad-Eye's Rules For Successfully Reaching Retirement:
> 
> Rule Number 95: When following someone it doesn't matter if you're obvious. It only matters if you're close enough for them to care that you're going in the same direction.
> 
> Rule Number 91: If you have a chance to relax and enjoy yourself…take it.
> 
> \/\/\/\/
> 
> Fic Recommendation: "Intended" by LeQuin. This is a Harry/Hermione fic, mostly canon background set post Hogwarts. Harry loves Hermione, but thinks she's happy with Ron so he says nothing. Meanwhile, Ron's laziness takes center-stage and his mooching shenanigans lead to some fireworks during a very nonstandard wedding. It's a long oneshot and definitely not your typical standard of these sorts of fics!
> 
> Author Rec: "FenrisWinter". He's relatively new but his stories show a good deal of promise. Werewolf!Harry stories are a dime a dozen. Werewolf!Hermione stories on the other hand…well those you don't see much of at all.


	7. Snape's Shame

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I do apologize for skipping the personal exploration items, but it seemed to bog things down when I tried to write it. So instead we have Version 2!
> 
> Staying in a single character's viewpoint is definitely more of a challenge than I had originally expected so I've taken some roundabout methods to show bigger scenes that happen away from Dora. Let me know how it turned out! This experience is definitely helping my writing I think which is always a good thing.

**Chapter 7: Snape's Shame**

School had been in progress for nearly a week and Dora was _thoroughly_ enjoying it. It had taken all of one hour for word to spread about her new 'coupled' status. Or more accurately, _Harry's_ new status. Lavender had of course been the first to notice that he and Dora were holding hands when proceeding to the carriages from the Express and Harry hadn't denied it when she'd bluntly asked him if they were dating. Dora had merely winked at her as the girl happily squealed and ran off to her own carriage.

By the time the plates had filled for dinner they'd been asked no less than ten times by people in three different Houses if they were 'really dating or just fake dating or having fun or…' Luna had – somewhat surprisingly – held off on commenting for nearly the entire meal. Once dessert was served though she'd made her move.

" _I've very glad to hear that you have both upgraded your courtship to the next plateau however I am not certain I truly believe it. I request proof if you don't mind."_

Coming from almost anyone else that would've been a bit annoying and possibly insulting. Coming from Luna Lovegood though…well Dora had found herself laughing uncontrollably at the delightfully adorable glint in Luna's eyes and the coy smile she'd flashed to both Harry and Dora. Harry apparently felt the same as he ended up leaning over and lightly kissing the metamorph's lips right there at the table. The chorus of groans from the men, sighs from half the women and frustrated grunts from the other half had been music to her ears. Luna's wide grin afterward made clear just how entertained the little blonde was about the situation she'd engineered.

Now a week later, the furor had yet to die down at all. Her boyfriend – _her boyfriend_ – was still the talk of Hogwarts. And not in a bad way for once! Even knowing that every day brought her one step closer to the potential massacre at the Department of Mysteries hadn't been enough to dampen her spirits. She had a boyfriend. A boyfriend who didn't try to mould her into his personal vision of perfection. A boyfriend who was sweet and adorable. A boyfriend who cared about _her_ not her _powers_.

 _A boyfriend you keep lying to._ Dora scowled briefly as she shifted on the couch in the Common Room. A quick shake of her head had those traitorous thoughts fleeing and a smile back on her face. She'd tell him after the Department of Mysteries fiasco had come and gone. Well, after she'd _prevented_ the fiasco. Keeping her best friend alive was more important than baring her soul. And continuing to get kisses every morning was certainly a nice perk.

_Rule Number 51: Try not to lie to yourself._

Dora rolled her eyes at Mad-Eye's voice echoing through her thoughts. He hadn't steered her wrong in a long time, but sometimes his tutoring could be most annoying.

She idly conjured a small felt ball to play with and as she tossed it into the air and again she found herself reflecting on Luna's parting words from before the hols. Dora really was reacting like a typical love-struck teenager. The more she considered her actions in general over the past few weeks and months she could see clear signs of the radical extremes she'd been prone to while going through puberty the first time around. Dora tossed the ball again and heaved a heavy mental sigh. She really _was_ hormonal wasn't she? Perfect. It seemed she'd made her new morph a little bit _too_ good. She was almost curious as to what her base form even was at this point. Would it be closer to the sixteen year old she masqueraded as or more like Tonks? _Actually answering that question would probably lead to tears no matter which way I lean now. Something to worry about over the summer in that case I guess._

The portrait hole opened behind her and Dora heard Hermione call out a soft welcome to Harry. The way that the brunette's voice trailed off into concern had Dora sitting up straight and quickly vanishing her ball. She turned to look Harry over as he sat down with a heavy sigh next to her and stared at his lap. "Harry? What's wrong? Did the Toad get to you?" Dora asked.

Hermione left her seat at the desk to come over and claim the armchair with a frown. "I doubt it's that because then he would be angry instead of frustrated and guilty. Talk to us, Harry."

Harry grunted in agreement and lifted his head enough to look at Hermione. He gave a small shake of his head and leaned back. "You seriously know me far too well, Hermione. Dora, you know I know I care about you right?"

"Yeeeeaaaah…" Dora said trying to dampen the cold knot that coiled around her chest. No conversation that started with those words had ever ended well.

"And you know I stayed a bit late to finish cleaning up the room when the DA left earlier?"

Dora frowned and nodded. He'd only been a few minutes behind them. She'd barely even gotten time to muse on the current state of her body's annoying teenage urges. "Did the Room get annoyed and kick you out?"

Harry snorted and the small smile the comment brought to his face proved her instincts right. Dora may not know Harry as well as Hermione just yet, but she was definitely getting better at figuring out how to break him out of his funks. "No. If the Room of Requirement ever gets annoyed enough with us to physically kick us out I think we have far bigger concerns. On multiple fronts."

"Then what happened?" Hermione asked.

Harry shrugged and turned back to staring at his hands. At least this time it was less 'guilty' and more 'annoyed'. "Cho stayed after too," he said. "I didn't think much of it until she was helping me put away the mats and she kept brushing against my shoulder. I may be dense, but I'm not stupid. I called her out on it and she turned to me and bluntly stated that she knew I was just with you, Dora, because of your abilities. Then she kept going and said that if I was looking for a real partner I should drop the fantasy girl and stick to more stable, _mature_ options." His fists had clenched and he was scowling deeply now. Dora felt her own fists start to curl and she knew her hair had switched to a deep red. "It gets worse," Harry said.

Hermione grimaced. "How could she possibly dig her hole any deeper than that?"

"I asked her what we had remotely in common beyond enjoying Quidditch." Harry paused and his scowl deepened even further. "She got this extremely smug look, stood up straighter and proudly declared, 'Cedric.' I was too stunned that she went there to even really react. I honestly think she thought it was a good idea to bring that up! Like I'd _want_ to get with the girlfriend of a _guy I got killed_!"

"Harry – " Hermione started before Harry waved her to silence.

"I know, I know," he said irritably, "'it's not my fault'. This one really is, Hermione. Wormtail may have fired the spell and Crouch and Voldemort may have set the trap, but I was the noble fool who convinced him to grab the Cup instead of just taking it like he told me to." Harry let out a long breath. "I'm not trying to be depressing or to dwell, I'm just stating facts. Cedric died because we were both idiots and because I'm incapable of accepting praise. Now, just _how_ Cho thinks that he ties us together is so far outside my realm of understanding that she might as well be speaking Swahili."

Dora silently counted to ten before she let herself speak and even then she made sure that her hair had cooled from fire engine-red to a more regular burgundy-red. "Please tell me you slapped her or jinxed her or something?"

Harry's eyes narrowed down at his lap until they were only slits and he pulled his arms in tighter. The defensive mechanism wasn't lost on either girl. Dora shifted closer and snaked an arm around his waist while Hermione seemed content to shift forward on her cushion to shorten the distance. Harry stiffened as Dora's skin touched his and he refused to look up. "I was a bit too stunned and angry to speak. She…kissed me and I let her." Harry's body was as still and hard as a rock. Dora blinked repeatedly trying to process that statement. Harry barreled on at breakneck speed. "I just froze and I pushed her away once I realized what was happening! I didn't kiss her back I swear! I wouldn't do that! Not unless you wanted me too and even then there's only like one other–I didn't kiss her back! I pushed her hard enough that she hit the wall. I pulled out my wand and hit her with a body-bind and yelled at her that I was with you and that I love you and she was insane if she thought we would make a good couple and then I unfroze her and ran back here. I…I'm sorry Dora!"

"Harry," Dora said softly. She leaned her head over and lengthened her figure enough that she could whisper in his ear without moving her arm from around his waist. "I love you too. And you should stop worrying about me being potentially mad at you and be more worried that I'd seek revenge on Cho." She paused and pulled back just enough to cast a critical gaze over a shaking brunette whose teeth were currently _very_ tightly clenched. "And perhaps we should both be worried about letting a Ruthless Vengeful Hermione free to seek her own revenge."

Hermione's eyes shifted to Dora and she glared hard enough for the metamorph to gulp. "This is not something to joke about! She _assaulted_ him!"

"I don't know if I'd go that far…" Harry muttered. His muscles were slowly starting to loosen up and Dora could feel him start to ease into her. It was definitely a marked improvement and a good sign that with a few more months or years of work they might just be able to break him out of that pessimistic attitude. _Sure if he lets me stay around that long._

Ginny plopped down in the remaining chair and crossed her arms. The nonchalance in the redhead's forced posture was at extreme odds with the fire blazing in her eyes. "I'm just glad Harry put the bitch in her place. Muscling in on a man like that when he's clearly not interested is completely out of line."

"Pot meet kettle," Hermione muttered softly enough that it only carried to Dora and Harry, both of whom gave her small knowing smiles. Hermione shook her head and replied louder, "That was not nearly enough. With Umbridge still on the war path I highly doubt we'll be able to do anything that would truly hurt her school standing – anything against Harry would be a positive for the evil woman after all – but I can certainly speak with Professor McGonagall and see her in detention until the end of the year. With Filch. And with Padma, Lavender and Parvati's help I can ensure that she is excluded from the remainder of any and all group activities no matter the House. I may even be able to influence her grades somewhat if I just…"

Harry finally relaxed fully, leaning back to rest against Dora's side as he stretched a hand to briefly clasp Hermione's own. "Hermione, thanks, but I'm good. Just give her detention for a day or two and then let the twins loose on her for whatever they feel to be appropriate. She's not evil. She's just…she's still screwed up by what happened to Cedric and she's not handling it well."

"I don't think that's good enough…" Hermione grumbled glaring at the floor hard enough that Dora checked it for smoke.

"For my part," Dora said, "I will agree to not seek righteous vengeance on the woman trying to assault my boyfriend if you will agree to help Hermione with her Occlumency starting this weekend."

Harry turned his head enough frown at her. "That's out of left field." Hermione nodded furiously in agreement.

"Not really," Dora said shrugging as best she could with her arms still wrapped around Harry. "She's probably gotten as far as she can with books and as you well know now, practicing your shields is a pretty intimate thing. I'll do it if you both want, but, Harry, you're good enough now that you should be able to do the first few Legilimency probes on your own. Neither of you seemed to believe me the other day when I said I'm okay with it so I'm going to use this golden opportunity while I have it. Plus I'd prefer not to be tempted into turning the Asian bitch into a smear on the wall and babysitting my two best friends for an evening is a good distraction."

Harry turned to Hermione and both seemed to carry on a silent conversation for a good ten seconds. Dora found her mood improving as she watched them. Maybe one day she'd be able to talk to him without talking. One day. Finally Hermione sighed and nodded. "Very well, I'll agree to the terms as put forth."

Harry was slower to agree. "You _really_ don't mind me rooting around in Hermione's head? Neither of you?"

"Nope. She was your best friend long before I was. I trust you. The fact that you were this upset when you hadn't even done anything wrong with Cho really just cements that even further, luv." Considering that she was practically stealing him out from under Hermione Dora owed it to the brunette to give her _something_ back and letting Hermione see some memories and letting him share in some of hers was the least Dora could do.

"Could I have some of those lessons with Harry as well?" Ginny asked.

Ginny's innocent tone didn't fool Dora at all and apparently Harry was unfazed as well. "Sorry, Ginny. It's nice that you can talk to me now, but I don't think we really know each other well enough for something like that. Maybe ask one of your older brothers? I'm sure Bill or Charlie would love to help out."

Ginny groaned and collapsed bonelessly back into her chair. "Sooooo not happening. My brothers are never getting into my head!"

All four laughed at that and the remaining tension in the group bled away. Hermione grinned at them all and leaned back still chuckling. "Are you _certain_ that I can't give Cho detention for a month?"

* * *

The next morning Dora had woken up early to work out and let off some steam. Her dreams had been plagued by repeated scenarios of Harry and Cho together or of Cho screaming for mercy as Dora tried out several new jinxes on her. There was even one particularly disturbing dream where Cho took lessons from Umbridge on how to seduce Harry before Umbridge turned into Bellatrix who then proceeded to calmly explain the merits of the Cruciatus curse to a rapt class consisting of most of the female population of Hogwarts.

Dreams were frustrating.

Dora finished her morning routine and padded down into the Common Room to wait for the others. She was mildly surprised to find that Ginny was also up and about. The younger girl nodded curtly to her and beckoned her to sit nearby. Dora sighed and moved to the indicated cushion. She'd have to get this over with sooner or later so it was probably better to confront it now rather than let it fester.

"Morning, Ginny."

"Good morning." Ginny paused and ran her gaze up and down Dora's body. After a few stretched out moments, she sat up straighter and folded her hands in her lap before meeting Dora's eyes. "I want you to know that I understand you aren't playing with Harry. However I don't see this lasting. You're not his type. You're strong and confident true. So is he. He needs someone able to stand by his side, but he also needs someone who knows when to back down. When he needs to do things by himself and take matters into his own hands. When he needs to be the hero. I don't think you're ever going to be able to do that. You're too sure of yourself. Harry needs a sidekick, not a superhero."

Dora blinked and gaped. This was not remotely close to the conversation she'd been expecting. "Uh, first, thanks for the compliment. I think. But, Ginny, are you really trying to say that whoever Harry ends up with should stand aside and let him walk out to fight Voldemort and his army all by himself just because he tells them to?"

"I think you're putting words in my mouth," Ginny stated. "Harry needs someone to challenge him, but who can let him win. I can do that. You'll flame out with him before too long. You might make it through the year. I almost hope you do, if only so that we can get him through Umbridge without too many issues. But you'll breakup. And when you do, I'll be right there to help hold him up. I know who he is and how to be what he needs."

Dora pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Ginny, I honestly am not sure how to respond to that. You honestly seem to believe it which is…a bit disturbing. Harry is not some mythical hero from a story book. He's a real person and he can break his back if you pile the weight of the world onto his shoulders."

"I'm not talking about him taking on the entirety of wizarding society and culture, Dora. I'm just saying that you can't let Harry be the hero is he because you have to be standing by his side while he's doing it."

"Ginny," Dora said massaging her temples and praying for patience. "Harry is a 15 year old boy. He is not Merlin, he is not King Arthur, he is not Wizard Jesus or Wizard Pope or Wizard Churchill. He is just a guy just trying to survive his school years and be happy. You can wish he fit your ideal view of a superhero all day long, but if you try to lean on him like that…" Dora trailed off and frowned while she searched for the right words. "If you try to build him up in reality to match your fantasy he's going to collapse and become a shell of himself."

Ginny shook her head and pinched her lips into a thin line while throwing her hands up into the air. "You don't understand. You have no idea who he is. How amazing he can be. He can tear down any obstacle."

"And every time he does it leaves more and more scars," Dora said quietly. "Not every mark is physical, Ginevra."

Ginny went very still for nearly a minute barely even blinking. Finally she shuddered and narrowed her gaze at Dora. "You barely know him! I've been there for years and – "

"And this is the first year you've said more than two sentences while around him." Dora shrugged. "I know I'm new. Believe me, I get that. But you can't say that you know Harry James Potter. You know The Boy Who Lived. What you 'know' is a fantasy, Ginny, and you need to start realizing that before you get yourself or someone you care about hurt. The Boy Who Lived can pull miracles out of his arse while drinking tea and eating crumpets. _Harry Potter_ has to fight and bleed for every inch and even then he needs friends and allies as much as anyone else on this planet."

"You just don't understand," Ginny denied with a strange, almost desperate, tone in her voice.

Dora sighed and shook her head letting it drop to her chest in resignation. There was no way she was going to get through to the girl. Not like this. "Even if what you say were remotely true Ginny it wouldn't matter. You were never going to be first in his heart. If I hadn't come here then…just trust me, you weren't even in the running."

Before Ginny could come up with a response to that a loud thumping sounded from behind them. Both girls turned in time to see the subject of their conversation come down the stairs with Ron following shortly behind him. Dora got up and moved to give him a hug before waving to the others and leading her boyfriend to the portrait hole. As it closed behind them, he grabbed her hand and smiled.

"Thanks for trying to clear things up with her. Do you think she'll get it?" he asked.

Dora's mouth lifted into a small smile. "I should've realized you were listening. That interruption was too perfectly timed. How did you get Ron to stay quiet?"

Harry shrugged. "I didn't have to. He was the one who said we should wait until you both were done. Said it might help him figure out what was going on with his sister if she didn't know he was listening."

"Well, that's a mildly creepy way of putting it, but at least his heart's in the right place. How much did you hear?"

"Enough." Harry trailed off and his gaze turned distant. "I know she was nervous around me before the stuff with the diary, but…now I wonder if that thing left more issues than we had thought. Ginny's smart, she shouldn't be that obsessed with me being a hero like this. I know I saved her, but I saved other people too and none of them ever became convinced I was Joan of Arc or something…"

Dora stared at the floor as they kept walking in silence. She considered everything she'd started to find out about her friends' lives. The basilisk had been set loose by a dark artifact that had essentially possessed Ginny. A dark artifact that had was imbued with Voldemort's will and personality. She'd managed to pilfer some of Tonks' manuals and Sirius' books on the subject. There were only a few options that were remotely close to the situation and while their methods and effects remained largely different they all had a few similar threads. One in particular being that prolonged exposure to such an object was _bad_.

It was always possible that Arthur and Molly had quietly taken Ginny to be treated for lasting mental scars over the summer after the incident and kept it hidden. That didn't ring true though. The Weasleys were never one to stay quiet about anything. They have been seeking restitution from Malfoy if they'd incurred any expenses; Molly wouldn't have let it rest. So that meant they'd probably never taken Ginny anywhere. Which meant they either hadn't noticed their daughter was hurt or they'd been convinced she would recover.

 _To be fair, she_ did _recover remarkably well. She just did it by becoming obsessed with a fantasy_. Dora heaved a heavy sigh as she sat down to breakfast. She would have to speak with Arthur and convince him to let a Mind Healer see Ginny. One more thing to add to her list.

* * *

"You've been avoiding me for almost three weeks now," Luna accused as she folded her robes, smoothed her skirt and sat down on the couch in the Lounge version of the Room of Requirement.

"I have not!" Dora protested desperately. "I've been busy! And…well…um…"

"Experimenting?" Luna asked. The salacious grin on her face was profoundly out of place for someone who usually looked so cute and cuddly and naïve. Dora mumbled something unintelligible to try and keep her from probing but it was useless. "Come again? I didn't quite catch that. The fizzlepinks seem to indicate that you've progressed, but I would like to hear it straight from you all the same."

Dora's abilities did nothing to stop the blush from rising to her cheeks. "Fine! Yes, okay, I've been busy _experimenting_! He's too bloody noble though! Do you have any idea how frustrating it is when you actually _want_ a guy to grope you and it's all you can do to convince him to _look_ at your breasts? At least I finally managed to get him to take my bra off the other day. I swear, how anyone in the castle could even remotely think that boy is a Casanova…"

"Have you gotten _his_ shirt off? All that Quidditch…mmm…" Dora blinked up at Luna's comment and gaped slightly before shaking her head to clear it of naughty images.

"We need to get you a boyfriend. And yes I have, it was the only way to convince him he could look at me while I was topless." Dora smiled at the memory. Harry had been so adorably nervous that she'd almost forgiven him for being so bloody _frustratingly_ noble! "For the record, his abs are amazing."

"Mmm good. I hope Ronald's are just as impressive. He does play quite a bit on his own after all."

Dora chuckled raised her fist to lightly tap the blonde's shoulder. "I honestly have no idea what you see in that kid."

"He lets me prattle on about the things I see and he seems willing to listen and comment. Even if he doesn't _believe_ me, it's better than most boys." Luna's evil grin returned and she winked at Dora. "Plus I imagine I can suggest quite a few ideas that would intrigue me and he would be perfectly willing to go along with them."

Dora smirked back and nodded. "No doubt. Just make sure it's you who suggests them. Might want to wait another year too. You're a little young to be – don't look at me like that, I know I'm being a hypocrite! I'm time-lost and hormonal, I've earned the right be a bit hypocritical about some things," she declared pompously sitting up straight and thrusting out her chin. She managed to hold the pose for about two seconds before both girls broke down laughing.

"So really, Dora, how are things going with Harry?" Luna asked once they'd calmed down.

"Honestly?" Dora leaned back with a large grin plastered onto her face. "Pretty well. He walks me to breakfast, he helps me with Herbology; I always pissed that grade away. Too clumsy to handle the plants without cutting myself or the wrong branch. He cuddles with me on the couch, he lets me scream at him from the stands when he's practicing…It's been great!"

Luna nodded. "You sound quite happy now. I'm glad that you accepted your new self enough to be comfortable with accepting his feelings."

Dora raised an eyebrow. " 'Glad' huh? And just how much of an understatement is that?"

"There may have been some dancing involved on top of my bed the night you got back," Luna admitted. "Su Li saw me while she did rounds and I believe she termed it a 'Victory Jig'. She seemed quite intrigued."

Dora laughed again at the complete matter-of-fact tone Luna was using. "Somehow this does not surprise me at all." Luna nodded sagely setting off another soft peal of laughter from the two of them. Eventually she managed to rein it back in and the blonde moved to slightly more serious topics.

"So how does the other front go? Are you on track for assisting the Langoliers in eating the future that never was and won't be?"

"Assisting what in eating the what?" Dora asked utterly confused.

"The Langoliers!" Luna smiled and waved her hand towards the ceiling. "They are like little brown fuzzy balls with razor sharp teeth that eat dead possibilities and moments. I don't actually know what their real name is, but there was a Muggle novelist that described them quite well even if he got which direction they eat wrong. So I call them what he did!"

It took several seconds for Dora to puzzle through that statement and her head hurt before she thought she had a handle on it. "You're asking if I need help with preventing the disaster at the end of the year that sent me here?"

"Well if you want to be _boring_ , then yes, that is what I'm asking."

Dora chuckled. Talking with Luna was sometimes an exercise in itself. "Well I could do with bouncing an idea off of you. See Harry and Hermione mentioned something the other day that got me thinking. I'm a metamorphmagus."

"Yes you are. At least I thought you were. Or are you really an animagus who can transform into people?"

"Haha," Dora responded deadpan. She rolled her eyes and stood spreading her arms wide. "All our current problems are stemming from Fudge being an idiot and refusing to acknowledge that Voldemort is back. Sooooo…What if I morph into old Voldy, do a bit of song and dance in front of the Minister and then _**poof**_ helpful Ministry!"

Luna frowned at that. "I think you greatly underestimate the sheer stubborn idiocy the Ministry is capable of. And greatly overestimate its potential usefulness as an institution. There would be a few who could assist in the fight, but many who would simply hinder it or worse, accept their new future ruler." She paused before sighing. "And I do not think you have fully thought your plan through."

Dora sat back down with her arms crossed petulantly. "Okay, why haven't I thought this through? What did I miss? It's a simple job. If I can fool Dumbles I can fool the idiot Minister."

"Well…for one, do you know enough strange, esoteric, ancient, forgotten magic to make the performance believable?"

Dora opened her mouth to respond before slowing closing it again, thinking for a moment and trying again. "It doesn't have to be ancient or fancy, just flashy. I can do some flashy things to convince him and the few lackeys he'll have nearby."

"And who will you be fighting?"

"Well I don't _have_ to fight anyone I could – "

"You have to be fighting someone," Luna stated shaking her head. "If you are not fighting than you should be conquering because the Dark Lord does not simply pay a social visit to the Minister of Magic. You aren't going to conquer so you must fight. So I ask again, who are you fighting against?"

Dora grimaced. "Okay yeah when you put it like that I guess I really should have a partner there. I'm not going to ask Hermione to polyjuice and Harry is definitely out…So probably Shack or Tonks? Or maybe Sirius?"

"And would any of those three be comfortable trusting a 16 year old girl to play He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and not get hurt?"

"Err…well…um…no. Probably not, no." Dora wasn't going to be beaten just yet. This had the potential to fix a ton of issues with minimal effort. "I could tell Tonks. We could have her play the part. They'd be okay with – "

"Surely you thought of this last time though correct? Why did you end up deciding against it then?"

Dora was silent for nearly a minute as she fought against Luna's calm rationale. "We were too worried that not everyone would be frozen in fear. That some heroic bystander would end up killing me while we were putting on the show. Or that if people realized I wasn't really him then it would just make things worse than before we'd tried…"

Luna nodded and asked in a barely there voice, "And have any of those reasons been changed or altered?"

"No," Dora responded just as softly.

Luna sighed and moved to sit beside Dora. She gently bumped the metamorph's shoulder with her own. "Then I suggest you drop the idea instead of letting it fester. There are other ways to go about things, Dora. If you still wish to follow through I will not stop you and I will not warn the others. However," Luna said in a voice suddenly far sterner than her usual airy tone, "I feel compelled to warn you that you should have taken this measure prior to initiating a relationship with Harry and a friendship with me. Should you get yourself killed as it stands now, I can guarantee that either him, Hermione or I will end up raising you from the dead just so that we can kill you ourselves for doing that to us."

Dora smiled and patted Luna's knee. "Understood. I'll let it go and we can figure out something else to give us a bit of an edge. Thanks, Luna."

"You're welcome." Luna shifted back and suddenly her bright smile appeared as if a switch had been flipped in the girl's head. "Now, have you noticed that Neville has filled out lately? Yum!"

* * *

Dora was so preoccupied with her conversation with Luna that she ended up sleepwalking through most of the rest of the day. Before she even realized it she was stretched back out on the couch of the Room of Requirement staring at the fire. It was a cozy little configuration. She'd dubbed it the Cuddle Room though Harry insisted on calling it the Comfort Room. Which really wasn't all that much better truth be told, but the poor boy _was_ somewhat sheltered. She'd wait a few weeks before telling him what 'comfort women' were.

Normally after a long day she'd just wind up relaxing up in the Gryffindor Tower though tonight was expected to be…difficult. Harry was having his first lesson with Snape today. She knew that he'd gotten good enough with Occlumency that he'd be able to make the bat work for it, but Harry was unlikely to be able to shut him out fully. He'd almost certainly need to wind down after that so she'd arranged a rendezvous in the Room for when his lesson finished.

Luna had had a field day when she'd wrangled _that_ information out of Dora. Hermione had been supportive though the faint ghosting in her smile left her true feelings on the matter known to the observant. "Don't worry, Hermione," Dora murmured to the empty room. "When he leaves me after the truth is out I'll have set the groundwork for you. You'll get him in the end." The upcoming Legilimency lesson was just the first step. Until then, she'd continue to enjoy the perks of being with Harry Freaking Potter. Even if he was too darn noble to take _full_ advantage of her own perks…

Dora shook her head trying to dislodge the inspirations flashing through her head. This was not a Sexy Time evening; this was a Fix What Snape Breaks evening.

"Speak of the devil," she murmured as the door to the Room opened and a thoroughly disheveled Harry stalked through slamming the door shut behind him. His hair was even wilder than normal, his eyes blazed, his glasses were bent, his lip curled, his fists were clenched hard enough to pierce skin and his jaw was shut so tight Dora worried she'd have to heal several cracked teeth.

"That greasy haired, arrogant, spiteful, unfair, Death Eater _bastard_! _Fuck_!" he snarled pacing in front of the couch a thin trail of blood oozing between his fingers and dripping to the floor as he moved.

Dora swallowed the quip she'd prepared and instead just stood and stepped into his path while shifting her height until she was slightly taller than him. As he came close, she wrapped her arms around him and gently pulled his head down to rest against her chest. Harry muttered something she couldn't understand and pressed against her pulling his arms together behind her. In less than ten seconds she felt her shirt start to cling to her chest as he started to cry. "Shh, I'm here, luv. I'm here," she murmured threading her hand through his hair and rubbing circles on his back with the other. "He can't hurt you and you never have to go back down there again. I heard there's another good potions master in the country too. I'm sure we could try bribing him to give you some private lessons so we can skip Snape encounters entirely."

A muffled barked laugh echoed through her as he just squeezed tighter. With a quick glance over her shoulder Dora walked them back until they were sitting down on the couch with Harry still clinging to her. It took another ten minutes before he was composed enough to lift his head and turn to stare into the fire resolutely wiping his face off. "A right sight I must look. Hero of the Wizarding World. Boy Who Lived. Slayer of the Basilisk. Banisher of Dementors. And here I am blubbering away like a child."

"You forgot the most important one: Harry Potter," Dora said softly. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Harry, Occlumency is an intimate art. It's never pleasant for anyone when an enemy is rooting around in your innermost secrets. Besides, you've seen _me_ bawling my eyes out before so fair's fair. And I'm pretty sure I win this one because I was in a nightshift and knickers and freezing my arse and feet off in the middle of the astronomy tower. You are nice and cozy in front of a fire fully clothed."

One corner of Harry's mouth lifted in a small approximation of a smile. "That is true. Do you always only sleep in a shift and knickers by the way?"

"At Hogwarts? Yes. At home? Nope. Usually just knickers." She relished the deep crimson blush that spread over his cheeks. "Unless it's really hot, then I sleep in nothing." Against all odds, the blush deepened further. Dora wondered idly if there was any blood left in the rest of his body.

"You're distracting me on purpose," he accused weakly.

"Yup," she said popping the word. Smirking she punched his shoulder and wiggled her eyebrows. "Doesn't mean I'm lying though."

Harry finally laughed and shook his head sending the warm feeling of accomplishment through her. Freud eat your heart out. She was just as good a psychologist as him and she hadn't had to pay anything for it! "You are impossible woman! Do you want to know what happened?"

"Only if you're comfortable talking about it."

"I'm not. So I'm going to show you instead."

Dora could only blink at him. "Say what?"

Harry turned to look at her fully with an ironic grin on his face. "Considering the recent subject matter I was supposed to be 'learning' I would feel that my meaning is obvious."

Dora rolled her eyes and playfully slapped the back of his head. "Git. Alright, you sure you want to do it this way, Harry?"

He nodded. "Talking about it would just make me angry again. This way is better. Plus your mind feels…I don't know warm I guess? It's hard to explain."

"I get it," she said pulling his head around enough that she could kiss his lips. She didn't hold the kiss long, but it was enough to get her meaning across. "Yours feels the same." She took up her wand and pointed it towards him. "Ready? Okay, _Legilimens_."

Dora felt her consciousness surge forward and her brief glimpse of Harry's fortress walls left her grimacing. It looked like a war had taken place in his mind; the strong battlements were pockmarked with holes, burns and gouges. Thankfully even as she watched, part of the tower repaired itself with the bricks scattered on the ground below flowing up to fill in one of the larger craters. She didn't have to stare at the castle for long as the front gates swung wide open and she felt herself fall through into the memory lying beyond.

" _Hello, Professor. Your note said we were starting tonight?" Harry asked as he walked into the classroom. He was careful to maintain a neutral tone and expression. If Snape could remain professional than he would respond the same._

" _You would not be here otherwise, Potter. I have better things to do with my time than tutor a child who cannot even tell me the importance of stirring his potion clockwise instead of counter-clockwise."_

 _Harry ground his teeth. That had been a legitimate question that the book didn't answer beyond 'don't mix it up'. He wasn't here to argue about potions though. He was here to try and get some techniques he could bring back to work on with Dora. "Why did we have to wait three weeks into the new term, Professor? I thought this was supposed to be important?" Important enough to make him wait it seemed. Harry wondered if it was_ Snape _that decided that or if it was Dumbledore?_

" _Arrogant as always, Potter! Some of us have important commitments and duties that cannot be avoided or ignored," Snape said scowling._

" _Apparently being a lapdog for two masters is difficult then. My apologies. Perhaps we should just start then." He knew he was going to pay for that one, but the greasy haired bastard didn't seem particularly interested in playing nice._

" _As you wish," Snape snarled. In an instant he had whipped out his wand and shouted, "Legilimens!"_

_The first assault was relatively undirected and similar in fashion to Dora's initial training. Harry shored up his mental Hogwarts framework and bunkered down through the storm. A few eons later, and both student and professor were back in the potions classroom._

_Harry cast a triumphant smirk to Snape who merely deepened his scowl in response. "Apparently you are so close-minded that you naturally resist mental intrusion. It seems I will have to tear you down before I can teach a boy such as yourself the delicate art of Occlumency."_

' _Naturally close-minded?!' Harry ground his teeth. He'd put in dozens of hours of hard work to get to where he was!_

_This second intrusion was less of a blunt shove and more of a determined battering ram slamming into his walls again and again. Harry fought back this time. He launched his active defenses and trusted the castle walls to reinforce his primary mental boundary layer. The magic of his defenses took the form of the castle's suits of armor leaping out of the windows and stabbing towards the intruder with spears and swords or lashing out with arrows of magic._

_The pitched battle ended as abruptly as it began and Harry found himself breathing heavily as he collapsed back against the desk behind him. Snape was not much better. He'd fallen backwards and knocked over several of the potion vials on the shelf behind him before he managed to regain his own equilibrium._

_Snape's characteristic scowl morphed into something altogether spiteful and malevolent. "You foolish little man. You have gone behind the Headmaster's back and sought_ secret training _! You risk everything for your pride!"_

 _Harry sneered right back at Snape and pushed off the desk to stand tall. "Firstly, if you people were_ really _so worried about me learning this you wouldn't have kept putting it off for over a_ month _since telling me 'it's of the utmost importance, my boy'! Secondly, it's hardly a_ secret _that I've been getting training,_ Professor _Snape. I spoke with Sirius about this long before Dumbledore ever even considered it! Dora has been tutoring me since the beginning and anyone who cared to actually_ ask _me about it I've told immediately! It's not_ my _fault if you and the other teachers are so far removed from the students that you don't even hear gossip anymore. I'm pretty sure half the bloody castle knows I'm getting this training!"_

_Snape didn't let a little thing like 'facts' get in the way of his hatred and prejudice. "She has obviously been a highly substandard teacher if your defenses are so pathetic."_

_Harry's lips curled into a snarl. "Bullshite! Your hand is still cradling your head from the pain of fighting against my defenses and you've yet to get a single glimpse of my memories. If you're half as good as the Headmaster seems to think you are, than Dora is flat out outstanding!"_

" _As arrogant as your father before you!_ Legilimens! _" Snape shouted._

_The man seemed to hold nothing back this time as Harry felt his mental walls come under attack and creak under the pressure. He groaned and felt something crack; a brick fell out of place in the framework and Snape was in. Harry felt him pull immediately for the memory of the Dementors, but Harry refused to let the hateful potions master win. Marshalling all of his magic and willpower, Harry thrust it towards Snape's presence._

_With an almighty roar, Harry felt the magic of the spell backfire and he traveled the current following it through until he was standing in the middle of a corridor in Hogwarts. This section was familiar to him and as Harry turned he gaped at the portrait of the Fat Lady. He was in the hall outside of the Gryffindor Tower's entrance. And he wasn't alone._

_A young Snape was standing there scowling up at the portrait and shouting. "Just tell her I'm here you stupid piece of lard! I need to speak with – Lily!"_

" _Severus." Harry felt his heart skip several beats as his mother walked out of the portrait hole. Her face was set in a stern mask and her wand was tapping against her leg. "I believe I made it clear that if you can't be civil with my friends than we don't have anything further to talk about."_

" _I am your friend as well!" Snape shouted as he rounded on her. "I was your friend long before those_ arrogant fools _!"_

" _Sevy I_ told _you – "_

" _Who told you you were a witch?! Who consoled you when Petunia turned on you? Who showed you how to fight back against the bigots? Who warned you when the Slytherins would be coming after you? I have been there for you longer than any of_ them _! How can you choose them over me?!" By the end of his tirade Snape was practically spitting._

 _Lily's face had grown more and more cold as he spoke. Finally when he stopped for breath her reply could have frozen the Black Lake. "Are you finished, Severus? Good. Yes we were friends._ Were _. You were the one to abandon me first, Severus. Yes, you warned me of the Slytherins attempt to rape me. Do you remember why you knew about that to begin with? Because you were in their group for long enough that they trusted you. Because you'd helped to arrange it for a different 'uppity mudblood who refused to acknowledge her place'."_

" _I never participated in that! I – "_

" _BE QUIET, SEVERUS!" Lily shouted. Her scream echoed off the corridor walls. "You knew it was going to happen and you did nothing. That is as good as being a member of the rape. And if that wasn't enough, you antagonize James and Sirius at every turn. They stopped harassing you after third year and have only ever retaliated since then. Marly and I made certain of it. You egg them on and then run to the professors when they get riled enough to actually do something. You have mounted a personal pogrom against Remus."_

" _He tried to kill me! Both him and Sirius and – " Severus cut off abruptly as Lily slapped his face._

" _I said shut it! You know as well as I do that Remus is perfectly safe now thanks to the new Wolfsbane solution. You also know that you are as much at fault for following Sirius as he is." Lily scowled and her wand sparked. "You both knew he was leading you into danger and you both share the responsibility of that near fiasco. Stop blaming others for your own problems, Severus."_

" _Lily, please," he pleaded._

" _Stop stalking me, Severus. We are no longer friends. If you ever truly change back into the boy I once knew seek me out then," Lily turned and pulled the portrait back open. "Until then, I want nothing to do with you."_

_The door had started to swing closed before Snape reacted. Spittle flew from his mouth as he shouted behind her. "Fine! Run back to your little pureblood prince you idiotic mudblood! I'll become strong enough to show you his true colors one day and I'll prove just how wrong you are to trust him over me! James Potter will fall and I will show you the truth Lily Evans!"_

_With a jerk and a shove Harry found himself launched backwards. He flipped over the desk and landed on the floor with a crunch, breaking his glasses and bruising his temple. He slowly levered himself to his feet and glared at the Potions Master slumped on his desk._

" _Get out, Potter," Snape said softly. "Get out and don't come back."_

" _I feel it's best if we never speak to each other from now on Professor Snape. I will come to class and that's it. I'll find another option for potions lessons beyond this year if I need it."_

" _Yes, you will."_

Dora felt the world spin and with a gasp she fell back into her body and collapsed against the couch seat. "Holy hell. Merlin…no wonder you're upset."

"Yeah." Harry sighed and sat back leaning his head against her shoulder. "He did love her in his own way. I could feel that much. How he could treat her like that despite feeling like he did…I hate him. I _hate_ him and I…"

"I get it, Harry. I get it." Dora squeezed his hand and joined him in staring at the fire. This night was going to be a lot longer than she'd even remotely suspected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Much thanks to RhysThornbery for his beta assistance on this.
> 
> \/\/\/\/
> 
> Mad-Eye's Rules For Successfully Reaching Retirement:
> 
> Rule Number 51: Try not to lie to yourself.
> 
> \/\/\/\/
> 
> Fic Recommendation: "Heart and Soul" by Sillimaure. This is a Harry/Fleur/Hermione fic and is very long. It's also complete! At times the story gets a bit too telly rather than showy but overall it's very good. The basic premise is that Sirius worries about Dumbledore not getting Harry off during his trial prior to Fifth Year and he makes a call to an old friend. A hop skip and a jump later and Harry and Fleur are entered into a marriage contract to save him from being expelled while Hermione's feelings are eventually recognized and she's brought in as well.


	8. The Toad

**Chapter 8: The Toad**

The days following the disastrous 'lesson' with Snape were…surreal. Dora had worried over the repercussions of the event for several hours and come to the inescapable conclusion that no matter whether Snape had ever really been an ally or simply a reluctant collaborator in the first go-around, now he would be firmly set against Harry. She'd worked with the man enough to know that he likely wouldn't take any direct action…but he'd delayed reporting the students' rescue attempt when he'd had _little_ reason to be antagonistic. _Now_? Now he'd likely actively try to suppress knowledge of anything untoward happening in relation to Harry James Potter – if only in the hope that her boyfriend's luck would finally run out and Snape could be rid of the boy.

She figured that if she could keep the two separated as much as possible there was a chance that the anger would cool enough that when the end of the year came around Dumbledore would have been able to get a handle on Snape and suppress the more base inclinations of the despicable potions master. It was a vague hope that was unlikely to bloom, but it was the best she could do. Who would have thought that getting Harry decent lessons on Occlumency would lead to _this_?

Unfortunately, her plan to convince Harry to skip Potions entirely for the rest of the year was immediately shot down both by him and Hermione.

"You can't seriously expect him to get a decent grade on the Potions O.W.L. if he skips class for the last few months! He can barely do the work as it stands!" Hermione paused and her eyes widened as her hand flew to her mouth. She turned towards Harry with her eyes downcastand murmured,"No offense, Harry."

"None taken,"he replied snorting in amusement. "Though I would like to say that I'll probably do better if I can just study it on my own or with you guys. Snape hasn't exactly been a stellar teacher."

"He hasn't been a teacher at all," Dora muttered. She sighed and shook her head before casting a critical glance at each of them. "Hermione, you didn't see what we did; that man is going to be on the warpath. Harry's not going to get anything out of class. I can get in contact with Slughorn or something and get him some tutoring."

"Slughorn?" Hermione asked.

"Hmm?" Dora mentally kicked herself before outwardly shrugging. "He was a bigshot Potions Master a few years back. One of my tutors raved about him. Bit of an arse and he trades in favors like Lavender spreads gossip, but he's a good teacher and he doesn't dismiss you if you're decent at the work."

Ron looked up from his chess game with Neville and shook his head. "I think we _all_ know how that would turn out, Dora. Can you really see Dumbledore authorizing that when his pet Death Eater is the one who's going to scream bloody murder?"

Dora scowled and desperately tried to think of a rebuttal. There had to be another option…Harry leaned over and grabbed her hand brushing his lips against her cheek. She looked up and couldn't stop the lightening of her heart at his small smile. "I got this, Dora. It's really nothing new. Just now neither of us has to pretend with how much we hate each other. I'll talk to McGonagall about getting this Slughorn or someone else as a tutor for next year in case I need to take the course for N.E.W.T.s." Dora just sighed and nodded her reluctant agreement.

Against all odds Harry ended up being proven right during the next Potions lesson. While all previous classes with Snape had always involved some form of derisive comment or blatant bias, _this_ class was…strange. For the entire two hours that the lesson was in session Snape had _completely_ ignored Harry's existence. The ingredients for Harry's place setting weren't laid out like the rest. Snape didn't make a single comment on the way the materials were prepared or Harry's brewing methods. He didn't taunt Harry or berate him or antagonize him in any fashion. When Malfoy tried to launch a shell into Harry's potion and Harry had idly batted it back into Malfoy's own…Snape didn't even _comment_.

As they all filed out of class Harry was blinking and looking rather wonderstruck. "I think that was the single best Potions class I've ever been in…"

"Yes, and it only took our professed 'teacher' deciding you dropped off the face of the planet," Hermione huffed. "Honestly, one wonders who is supposed to be the adult in this situation."

"Don't look the gift manticore in the mouth, Hermione," Ron said chuckling. "You'll just get a face full of fire. Harry, mate, how'd you piss him off so much?"

Harry grimaced. "I watched him destroy any friendship he might have had with my mother. Also I watched him basically admit to setting up a fellow student to be assaulted."

"I really wish we could've done something about that…" Dora muttered as they trooped into the Great Hall for dinner and sat in their regular seats.

"McGonagall said they were all cleared during Bagnold's administration so there wasn't any recourse," Harry said sighing. "Death Eaters getting off Scot-free; what else is new?"

He'd barely even reached for the nearest tray of food before Dumbledore came up behind them. The Headmaster had a frown ghosting his lips that was thin enough only those truly familiar with the man would notice it. Dora's shoulders tensed and she started tapping her knee. If the old goat tried to force Harry into more 'lessons'…

"Harry? If I may have a short word prior to dinner?" he asked.

Dora reached over and squeezed Harry's leg just barely managing to keep her hair from shifting colors. Her boyfriend casually took her hand and squeezed back before nodding to the Headmaster. "Of course, Sir. Are we going to your office or speaking here?"

"There is a classroom just outside that I believe would work perfectly well. Come with me." Dumbledore turned and started walking away. Dora rose as Harry did and together they followed behind.

"Hey, Dora? How come you're – ow!" Ron uttered rubbing his foot. He glared at Hermione leaving Dora to chuckle slightly as she left the Great Hall hand in hand with Harry. If Dumbledore had cared enough to actually _pay attention_ than he would have been able to tell her off or protest her inclusion in the 'meeting'. That he hadn't was his own problem. She smirked at the minor win over the Headmaster.

The door to the classroom swung shut and Dumbledore had his wand out to cast an anti-eavesdropping charm before he cocked his head at her and frowned. "Miss Kirk…I do believe my request was to speak with Harry."

"It was," she agreed. "That you didn't see me coming with until just now either shows you are far too distracted, you tacitly approve of it, or you are continuing to ignore Harry to such a degree that my presence here is practically required."

Harry snorted. "What's she's trying to say, Professor, is that we would prefer not to be alone with you at this time considering how the year has been going."

Dumbledore heaved a heavy put-upon sigh and seemed to crumple in on himself as he turned his gaze to the floor. "You still do not trust me, Harry?"

"Are we going to talk about further Occlumency lessons with Snape?" Harry asked in challenge.

"No," the reply was so soft that Dora had to strain to hear it. "No, we are not. I…do not know exactly what occurred between the two of you, Harry, but Severus was quite adamant that he would not be speaking to – or of – you ever again. I fear I may have vastly underestimated his grudge against you."

"And the Understatement of the Year Award goes to Albus Dumbledore," Dora muttered too quietly for the elderly headmaster to hear.

"Severus explained you had…other tutoring. Is this true?" Dumbledore asked tacitly ignoring her.

Harry sighed and let go of Dora's hand. He crossed his arms and nodded. "Yes, Sir. Dora was already instructing me in Occlumency before you even talked to me about starting to learn. That's why I was so dismissive."

The old man's mouth dropped open and his eyes widened to the point that Dora started to seriously consider he had a bit ofmetamorph blood in him somewhere up the line. "And you never thought to mention this?!"

"You never bothered to ask," Harry's reply was a cutting as it was simple.

"Professor Dumbledore," Dora said stepping forward. "I learned it while training with my family and my Coven. I'm pretty decent at it and both of us have been improving a lot since we started working together."

"This is not right. You are a child and you – " Dumbledore's mouth snapped shut though between his guilty expression and the way his hand had twitched towards his wand the damage had already been done. Dora fought to keep her hair from switching to red and just barely managed to grab Harry's elbow to hold him back with her instead of letting him cross in front of the Headmaster.

"Sir, if you are trying to imply that Dora is not trustworthy stop right now!" he growled. "She has been nothing, but helpful to me! _You_ sent me to _Snape_! _Snape_! His 'lesson' consisted of insulting me from the moment I stepped in the room and dismissing all of the effort I have put into this. I learn well from Dora because she _helps_. She _teaches_. I _trust_ her! If you are just going to sit there and berate me on my choice of friends and allies while you stay best mates with an admitted rapist and Death Eater perhaps it's _you_ who should be given what for!"

Dumbledore closed his eyes and grimaced. "Everyone makes mistakes, Harry. Professor Snape…he made many difficult choices and many of those choices turned out poorly. He has done what he can to make up for that." Dumbledore held up a hand when both teens made a move to speak. "No, I am not making excuses for him, merely attempting to explain why I still trust and employ him. I understand that we will never agree on this matter and that we must agree to disagree. I fully admit to having expected more from him than he has given. Professor Snape is the adult and he should have been able to move past his grudge in order to teach you. That he cannot…I deeply apologize, Harry."

Harry ground his teeth. After several seconds he scowled and gave a curt nod. "Apology for _that_ accepted. What about the other things?"

"Forgive an old man his oddities. I am slow to trust those I do not know," Dumbledore said with a heavy sigh. "It is a consequence of living through so _many_ difficult times."

"You don't have to trust me, Headmaster," Dora said with a soft sigh. "You just have to be willing to acknowledge that _Harry_ does."

Dumbledore grimaced and gave a curt nod. "As I said, I have made many mistakes and as an old man set in my ways my mistakes can be quite large indeed. I will endeavor to do better by you both in the future." Dumbledore turned to stare at the window to the room for nearly a minute with the two teens fidgeting behind him before he finally asked, "Is there any assistance I can offer you both while pursuing this discipline?"

Dora blinked in surprise. He was actually giving them the okay? _That_ was…unexpected. Harry shook his head and grabbed her hand before he replied. "No, Professor, we're okay for now. Thank you for offering. I'll let you know if that changes."

"I would appreciate that, Harry. Thank your acceptance. Harry, Miss Kirk, have a good day, and once again, I deeply apologize for your treatment at Professor Snape's hands."

* * *

The relative peace lasted for nearly another week before things started to come apart at the seams yet again. The morning things unraveled began innocently enough – breakfast, naps in History, having fun watching Umbridge's new Rapunzel hair wrap around every desk she walked past…That calm lasted all the way until the mid-afternoon when the Gryffindors and the Slytherins both showed up for Quidditch practice at the same time. That by itself wasn't so unusual. Every few weeks the Slytherins had been able to con the Toad with some pitiful excuse for extra practice time. That such practice times always seemed to infringe on the other three teams' reservations certainly wasn't an issue for Umbridge.

No, what caused Dora grief was that _this_ time Malfoy decided he needed to get a few jibes in prior to starting their session. The low-strength amplifying charm on the team brooms intended for the players to hear team strategies picked up every word Malfoy uttered.

"I don't know why you're even fighting us on this Scarhead," her cousin asked with a grin wide enough Dora could see it from her spot across the field. Her stomach flipped and she reached for her wand as she directed her broom to the ground. Draco was up to something and they were getting close enough to the end of the year that she couldn't risk letting _anything_ happen.

"Well maybe if you ever bothered to actually have a good reason for sabotaging everyone else we'd stop complaining," Harry fired back.

Malfoy laughed and raised his eyebrows glancing briefly in her direction before he turned back to Harry. "Honestly, Potter don't you have better things to be doing? Like that girlfriend of yours?" Dora's eyes narrowed. He wouldn't. And Harry wouldn't… _Shite!_ She started moving towards the two at a pace just short of a run. Flying would only make it worse and probably push Malfoy to escalate faster. "I'm sure she could be showing you a far better time right now than sitting here arguing with me about how to ride your broom. Or maybe _she_ argues about the best broom riding techniques?"

"Considering you're the one who only ever goes around with two brutes, Malfoy I'd say you'd have more knowledge on riding 'brooms' in that respect," Harry said. His flippant response was betrayed with the vein that stood out on his neck and the way his white knuckles were wrapped around his Firebolt's handle. Dora reached midfield and she saw the rest of the Gryffindor team start to head over as well, but they were all too slow by this point.

"You probably ask her to come to each of these practices just to keep an eye on her, eh? I would in your place. You can't trust metasluts. They're all known to have…loose morals after all."

"Careful, Malfoy," Harry growled in a whisper that somehow carried across the field. Dora broke into a full run as did Katie and the twins.

"Has she switched to your dear old mum yet? Considering how much your vaunted _love_ for the Mudblood keeps coming up, I figured it's just a hop, skip and a jump to bringing it into the bedroom and – " Malfoy cut off abruptly as Harry's fist knocked his front teeth out and sent a fountain of blood pouring from his nose. The blonde ponce dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes leaving his bodyguards Crabbe and Goyle gaping in shock.

Harry didn't let it end there though; he followed Malfoy down and managed to land several more punches on the whimpering boy's face and chest before Fred reached him and pulled him back while Dora jumped in front of him and pushed back on his chest. Harry was still struggling to get out of the bear's grip Fred had established and get around Dora by the time George and Katie caught up. George started to assist Fred in holding him while Katie joined Dora in front of Harry.

"Calm down!" Dora said putting her hands on his chest and pushing him back into the twins. She met his gaze and waited long enough to see the fire die down slightly before trying to speak again. "Harry, he's not worth it!"

"Yes, he is," Harry growled out through clenched teeth.

Katie shook her head. "You're giving him exactly what he wants for nothing beyond a momentary instant of revenge. We're better than them, Harry. Don't let him get to you!"

"Heh hem!" A truly obnoxious throat clearing behind her had a scowl planted firmly across Dora's features in an instant. Perfect. _Just_ what they needed right now! "Mr. Crabbe, Mr. Goyle, if you would please assist the victim in making it to the hospital wing to ensure his grievous injuries are taken care of promptly it would most appreciated."

"Of course, Professor, we have it. Come on Draco," Goyle said with a grin. He reached down and none-too-gently pulled Malfoy up by the arm practically dragging the boy behind him. Dora couldn't help the feeling of pride that welled up inside as she saw the blonde idiot still whimpering through his missing teeth and broken nose.

"Grievous injuries?" George asked scowling. "We've all had worse than that practically every practice! Bloody hell we get worse going to Potions class! Pomfrey will have him fixed up in thirty seconds tops!"

"I don't believe you are qualified to make medical diagnoses, Mr. Weasley," Umbridge commented with a wide smirk.

Angelina snorted and crossed her arms. "And what exactly makes _you_ qualified to make medical diagnoses then, _Ma'am_."

"Why _I_ am the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister and the High Inquisitor for Hogwarts of course."

"Neither of which have any sort of Healer training requirement," Katie said. Harry finally stopped fighting his friends though Dora could practically feel the waves of rage that were boiling off him.

Umbridge just gave her annoying little condescending giggle and shrugged at the group of Gryffindors. "Just because you are not intelligent enough to understand the responsibilities of my postings does not mean that they do not exist. Now, as I was saying, Mr. Potter, you have attacked a fellow student with no provocation and – "

" _NO PROVOCATION!?_ " Dora snarled and twisting to level her full glare on the Toad. _One more word, Umbridge. One more bloody word and I swear to Merlin, I will_ destroy _you!_

"Yes, no provocation," the bitch simpered with her customary giggle. "Seeing as how the Minister is still in the process of approving my ability to expel students…I think a… _lifetime_ ban from Quidditch would be an appropriate punishment instead. After all, we cannot have such _violent_ members of society representing our country now can we? I also feel it appropriate to permanently disband the Gryffindor Quidditch team. You all were rather vocally supportive of your teammate's actions and questioning my authority to institute corrective measures. Tut, tut. Maybe in a few years we can revisit this unfortunate instance." Umbridge smiled and walked away with Harry's Firebolt levitating behind her.

The entire field fell into an eerie silence almost as if the world itself was holding its breath. Finally after nearly a minute Angelina muttered quietly, "I feel like I'm going to kill that bitch one of these days…" Harry just scowled and nodded his agreement with a low growl rumbling through his chest under Dora's hand.

Dora herself stayed completely silent – the only outward expression of her rage was her narrowed eyes and her hair shifting to jet black. Idly she reached up to brush a strand out of her eyes. _I haven't gone full Black Family_ black _since Marcus tried to jump me in Sixth Year. Well…I guess it's time to finish this little game Umbridge. When I'm through with you you'll be lucky to end up like Lockhart._

* * *

Dora had been working on an initial plan to deal with the Toad problem the entire walk back to the Common Room. The list of options currently consisted of 'invite Grawp for a playdate' – how Hagrid had expected to return from meeting the giants with his kid half-brother in tow and _not_ have the Order find out was beyond her – 'trick Umbridge into pissing off the goblins', and 'disappear into the belly of something that eats Toads'. She was still attempting to convince herself that long term spell damage would be preferable to actual death, but with each glance to Harry and the rest of the Quidditch team while they simmering in barely suppressed rage it became harder and harder.

By the time Dora dropped onto the cushion next to Harry her mental protests were degrading down into 'you have to be better than her just so that you can at least pretend she didn't win'. She glanced up and distractedly nodded to Ron and Hermione who had moved over to sit with the rest of the group. The Quidditch team clustered onto the surrounding seats in various states of anger and frustration.

"This is complete bullshite!" Alicia exclaimed with a snarl. "That bitch can't ban our entire team!"

"She can from the school," Angelina replied, her lips curled into a primal scowl. "But there's no possible way she can screw with Harry's future in the sport. 'A lifetime ban'. Sure. Good luck with that, Umbitch!"

Ron frowned and shifted uncomfortably. He looked from Angelina to Harry and back again several times. Finally he swallowed and nervously asked, "Err, Umbridge actually said she was giving him a lifetime ban?"

Harry let out an explosive breath and nodded. "Yeah. Right before she stole my broom. Padfoot gave me that broom. _She's not keeping it!_ " Dora squeezed his knee while Ron just gulped again.

"Not to make things worse, but…well she…she actually _can_ ban him for life," the redhead mumbled.

Hermione's head whipped around to goggle at Ron followed almost immediately by nearly everyone else in the room as well. " _What?!_ "

Ron fidgeted and rubbed at the side of his nose before responding. "Well the Ministry had some issues with Quidditch players breaking the Statute of Secrecy back in the 1860s so they made a new law that lets the Minister and the Senior Undersecretary ban anyone from the League." He grimaced and cast his eyes down to the floor. "It _did_ manage to stop the Statute issues…"

"And no one ever removed the law because it gives them more power and why would they ever want to give up power," Hermione said crossing her arms and scowling. "This is so unfair!"

"Well it only applies to Britain!" Ron said perking up. "So, Harry, if you want you can always move to the mainland and play there or you can hop over to Ireland and join their League. We've got options."

Harry's lip twitched though whether it was from humor or anger was hard to tell. "I'm not moving to another country just to play Quidditch. Not because of that woman. I will not let her win."

"No," Dora murmured. "No we won't." Her eyes narrowed and her hair stayed jet black. Overreaching was one thing, but now knowing that Umbridge could actually follow through on her threat? _No more. I'm done playing the slow game and I'm done playing fair. She wants to play with fire? The Toad better be ready to get burned._

* * *

It was nearly 1 a.m. before Dora finally felt comfortably secure that all of her fellow roommates were asleep. Palming her wand she cast a disillusionment and silencing charm on herself before slowly getting up from the bed. The most dangerous part of this plan was right here. Once she was out of the dorms things would be easy. Well… _easier_. She was careful to transfigure a pillow into a passable duplicate of her sleeping form so that any casual observer would see exactly what she wanted them to see.

Padding over to the door to the stairs, Dora cast another silencing charm on the door and frame before she quickly slipped through the tiny gap. She waited to breathe a sigh of relief until she'd set foot into the Common Room. This room was deserted as well. She twisted to go towards the portrait hole when a soft grunt of pain cut through the air freezing her with one foot extended.

Apparently the room _wasn't_ deserted. Scowling Dora twisted her head back to the couch and lengthened her legs enough to be able to see over the edge. Her scowl instantly dropped off and was replaced by a sad, commiserating smile. Her boyfriend had apparently never made it up to his bed and was lying stretched out asleep on the sofa. Any concerns she might have had about the legality – or more specifically the _lack_ of legality – in what she was about to do evaporated as she saw the way his expression twisted in pain and sorrow through his nightmare.

Letting out a soft sigh of sadness that she couldn't stay to comfort him, Dora instead drew a blanket from the side of the couch and draped it over his prone form. Content that at least Harry wouldn't catch a cold, she again turned to the exit and let her feet swiftly carry her away. She had work to do.

Getting out of the castle unnoticed was almost laughably easy. The security of Hogwarts was rather subpar all things considered. Dora frowned as she pushed open the 'secret' hatch into the Hogsmeade pub. She sincerely hoped that the wards around the castle distinguished between friend and foe because otherwise they had a massive issue should Death Eaters try to infiltrate instead of openly attack. Granted Voldemort generally wasn't that subtle, but there was nothing to say that he _couldn't_ be subtle…

Dora shook her head and refocused. She didn't have time to deal with what-ifs at the moment. With a quick check to make sure the coast was clear, Dora apparated to the Ministry lobby. Still disillusioned, she swiftly made her way through the empty corridors and stole into the receiving room for the Minister. The complete lack of security was…mildly disturbing. Granted there wasn't _too_ much worth protecting outside of the DOM but there were enough records lying around the place that it should warrant two or three guards. Damn Fudge and his 'budget cuts'!

Scowling Dora cast the code to unlock the door to said bowler hat's main office. At there was _some_ security here; this particular room she was only able to access because she still remembered the charm from the first time around. Guarding against time-lost individuals was probably one of the first casualties of Fudge's slashed funding.

 _If they actually did have a time-lost individual line item though…well old Bonesy has always been badass like that so I guess it wouldn't really surprise me as much as it probably should_ , Dora thought with a snort of laughter as she stepped inside and sealed the door behind her. She took a breath to steady herself and firmly fixed her target in mind. Within a moment her form had shortened and her waist had expanded. Her hair shortened and her bits grewdangly. In barely a few seconds Minister Cornelius Fudge cast a critical eye over himself in the mirror and nodded in approval. Dora left a shiver run through her for a moment; it always felt so… _strange_ taking a male form – and the concentration required to maintain it was annoying. It was a sacrifice that needed to be made right now though, desperate times and all.

 _Rule 14: When breaking the law, don't get caught and have a scapegoat ready._ Dora suppressed a snort of amusement. Moody had taught her that one while snagging a bottle of truly ancient scotch from Malfoy on a raid. She'd have paid a lot of galleons to see the look on the Death Eater's face when he had found that little treasure missing.

Refocusing, Fudge picked up a pinch of Floo powder and tossed it into the fireplace before stepping in and shouting out, "Hogwarts, Senior Undersecretary's Quarters!" A brief spin through the grates saw the image of the Minister stepping out of the fireplace and looked over towards a very surprised Dolores Umbridge. Umbridge was sitting at her desk with a pink fluffy nightcap hanging off her head and her bulging form wrapped in a pink dressing robe. Somehow Dora managed to hold in her disgust and turn her initial choking noise into a grunt from Fudge's lips.

"Cornelius! What a surprise! You should have mentioned you were coming. I kept the grate open for you just like always, but I could have gotten dressed had you sent ahead," Umbridge simpered as she smiled. Inwardly, Dora started smirking. She'd known there would be some level of detection she'd bypass by going straight from Fudge's office, but it looked like this was even better. Umbridge wouldn't even bother questioning her at this rate!

"There wasn't time, Dolores," Fudge said with a wave of his hand. "I must be quick. Talk reached me about what you did with the Potter brat earlier. Excellent move there!"

"Thank you, Cornelius, I was just – "

"But we need more," Fudge said beginning to pace and stare at the floor as his hands made the motion of reaching to remove and fiddle with his bowler hat. He only seemed to remember halfway through that he didn't have it as he kept pacing and clasped his hands behind his back. "We need to do the thing properly. We need him gone. He hasn't risen to any of your bait this year and we can no longer afford the boy to remain a player on the board. If he was smart enough to begin leveraging the support he's been slowly regaining…we need him removed from the situation Dolores. Do you understand? Something big. Something public. Make certain that it's blatantly obvious that Potter is no longer an issue." He glanced over and saw Dolores nodding along with a spreading smile. A shiver ran up Dora's spine and she bit back a gulp. She had to toe the line yet not to push Umbridge _too_ far. "We have to be careful though. Nothing _too_ permanent, just a decent blasting charm should be sufficient." Harry could dodge or shield against a blasting spell with his eyes closed and Dora would be there anyway in case he was caught by surprise."I should be able to sway anyone asking questions with a sufficient defense in place…Yes, yes that's it! Imperius. After all if someone of Lucius' caliber could be brought to heel by the curse you could certainly fall victim as well."

For a brief moment the smile on Umbridge's face drooped and Dora nearly beat her borrowed forehead against the wall. Insulting the Toad whenshe was supposed to be Fudge's right hand woman… _smart_. "Yes, well it is insidious like that…" Umbridge murmured. Dora let go of the breath she'd been holding. Merlin, how full of herself could the Toad be? "I should likely do something widely out of character first then? Perhaps if I restore the little liar's Quidditch status in the middle of the Great Hall? Yes, I think that would do nicely. Then afterwards any questions that come my way…"

"I should be able to direct them to being obviously caused from the curse," Fudge replied with a nod, his gaze fixed firmly on the wall. Inside Dora felt dirty. While the conversation was going largely how she'd expected it felt all sorts of wrong. It would so much easier to just kill the Toad and feed the transfigured remains to a thestral…

"I shall do it first thing! The brat will be gone before the first class!"

The tone of that response sent another shiver up Dora's spine and she turned to have Fudge fix Umbridge with a hard stare. "Remember, Dolores, _nothing permanent_. I will not be able to shield you should the entire country call for you head."

Umbridge nodded and the grin remained wide enough for flies to buzz through. "Yes, yes, don't you worry, Cornelius; I'll take care of everything. The _Prophet_ has done quite well in assisting with Potter's downfall and I shall complete our work."

Fudge gave a curt nod and strode to the fireplace. One brief Floo ride later saw Dora shuddering in disgust as she shed the Minister's form and dropped back to her own. "I swear to magic itself if she tries to Crucio him in the middle of the Hall I _am_ going to slaughter her…" Dora muttered as she recast the disillusionment and silencing charms and left the office.

Before leaving the building completely she made a brief pit-stop at the DMLE. This whole thing would be utterly pointless without witnesses. Important witnesses. _Trustworthy_ witnesses. As she slipped through the door to the Auror offices she rolled her eyes at seeing Dawlish sleeping in the duty chair near the Floo corner. _Of course_ he was sleeping. It wasn't like being the first responder was _important_ or anything! Well it made her job easier at least. One note each left on top of Shack's, Amelia's and Tonks' desks and she was done.

Dora had to fight to urge to whistle as she walked back to the apparition hallway. The setup was done. Now she just had to stick close enough to her boyfriend to knock him away from whatever the Umbitch came up with. After all, the Toad was beyond stupid – how bad could it possibly be?

* * *

Dora barely slept at all that night. Even if her mind hadn't been racing alternatively with rage, anticipation and worry she'd have only had a few hours before breakfast started. She finished her shower in record time and barely even noticed Lavender asking a question as she levered open the dorm's door. She was striding back across the Common Room floor almost before she even realized that she was awake.

It would not do to be late today.

"Morning, Dora," a gentle voice sounded out from the stairs near the boy's side. Dora let out the breath she'd been holding and turned to Harry with a smile.

"Morning. I saw you down here last night. Get any actual sleep?"

Harry shrugged and ran his hand through his hair. "Some. I've had worse that's for sure." He moved forward and gave her a short, but hard hug. Leaning forward he whispered in her ear, "Thanks for the blanket."

"That's what I'm here for," she replied.

They pulled apart as Hermione, Ron and Neville walked into the room. A quick round of good mornings all around soon saw the group heading down towards the Great Hall for breakfast. Dora lasted until the second floor before having to take Harry's hand. The glance he cast her was bemused though Dora felt her stomach flip. Like it or not, things were rolling and they were about to pick up speed. The main event was out of her hands now. She'd just have to roll with the punches and 'remain vigilant'.

They were sitting down in their usual seats and had just plated some food when the tenuous plan for the morning started to nosedive. "Dora, are you alright?" Hermione asked a slight frown on her face.

"I'm fine. Why?" Dora asked quickly fighting to keep her hair under control.

"Well your knuckles are white and your hair is somewhere between red and black…" Hermione said. Her voice was quiet enough that the only one who would've been able to hear beyond Dora herself was Ron. And the Weasley boy was far too interested in his waffles and pancakes to be paying any attention.

Dora shook her head and consciously loosened her grip on Harry's fingers. The slight flexing of his hand and the ghost of a smirk that crossed his face gave clear evidence to her rather…extreme grip. "Should've said something, jerk," Dora murmured to him and playfully nudging his leg. She turned to Hermione and forced a smile. "Just worried that Umbridge would try to push her luck today. After all, if she could ban him and the entire team who knows what she might do."

"Right…" Hermione said. Her frown deepened and her eyes narrowed slightly. "Now what's _really_ going on?"

"Really, Hermione, it's – " Dora cut off as Umbridge stood up from her seat at the Head table.

As the Toad moved around to stand in front of the assembled breakfast group and cleared her throat all eyes turned to her. This was one of the rare few days that she wasn't sporting some combination of embarrassing prank haircut or skin coloring so she managed to command attention by that fact alone. It was actually part of the reason why Dora had asked Fred and George to not do anything to her after the incident the day prior – the more attention on the Umbitch during her meltdown the better. "Good morning students of Hogwarts!" Umbridge said starting off with a wide grin. Dora scowled and let her hair change to the black it was fighting for. "As some of you may know, yesterday there was an incident on the Quidditch pitch. It involved Mr. Potter and a large portion of the Gryffindor Quidditch team."

The Great Hall broke out into murmurs. Quite a few heads turned towards the Slytherin table with glares fixed upon their faces. For Draco's part he looked positively radiant and seemed fully oblivious to the near murderous looks most of the school was directing his way. He'd find out soon enough if he wasn't careful to walk with a pack from now on…

"As it stands, I believe I was quite harsh with, Mr. Potter," Umbridge continued. Any side conversations immediately halted and everyone froze. Even the professors seemed to go unnaturally quiet at that proclamation. If a pin had fallen it would likely have started a war through the unleashed cannon blast as it struck the floor. "In fact in order to fully ensure that there are no hard feelings I am officially rescinding Mr. Potter's Quidditch ban, reinstating the Gryffindor Quidditch team and apologizing. Mr. Potter will serve a single detention with Professor McGonagall for fighting and a loss of 20 House points."

If a cricket has sounded in the Great Hall people probably would have run screaming. Dora's fists balled up and she had to shorten her nails to avoid drawing blood. This was it. This was the moment of truth. How far would Umbridge take this? Would it be enough? _Please let it be enough._

"Mr. Potter, if you would please come up here so that I can return your broom?"

Dora froze solid and forgot to breathe. Harry slowly stood up beside her and began to walk up towards Umbridge, his face set in stone and his hand clenched near his wand. _No. No he can't go up there. Not alone. He doesn't know it's a trap and he doesn't know she's going to try to hurt him! He-I can't-we have to-I have to-S-stop! I have to-_ "HARRY! GET DOWN!" Dora roared as she finally broke her panic and surged to her feet. Harry half-twisted back towards Dora just as Umbridge's grin turned into a scowl and her hand came up with wand leveled.

Dora had crossed half the distance to her boyfriend when the Toad snapped, "Avada Kedavra!" Dora's eyes widened as the tip of Umbridge's wand lit up green.

… _no…_

Harry shifted backwards in response to the shout and the green flash of light shot forth just narrowly missing his torso. It almost clipped Dora herself as she leaped to the side. There was an explosion from somewhere behind her, but she ignored it and pushed off the student she had nearly fallen into desperate to reach Harry before – "Avada Kedavra!"

"Expelliarmus!"

"Confrigo!"

"Move!" A flying blur jumped across her field of vision and slammed into Harry at the same time as Dora. All three of them crashed to the ground just as a red beam issued forth from Harry's wand and an orange one flew from the Ravenclaw table. The Toad's green Killing Curse flew wild over their heads; but Harry's disarming and Luna's blasting spells both struck true hitting Umbridge in the center of her chest. The woman was thrown violently backwards into the head table while her wand soared into the air.

The Great Hall erupted into chaos. Screams and shouts echoed everywhere as a mad dash was made for the exits. Seven different spells from the professors each wrapped around Umbridge at almost the same moment. The cries and thundering feet surrounded them, but Dora didn't care. She pushed up enough to be able to see Harry and nearly sobbed in relief as he sat up and rested his hand on her cheek. She leaned into his palm for a brief moment with her eyes closed and tears running down her cheeks before she ruthlessly pushed that emotion back down. Now was not the time to lose it.

She'd started this shite show and she still had to finish it.

"Close one," Harry said barely loud enough to hear over the racket. "Thanks for the warning, Dora. And thanks for bowling me over, Neville. I forgot for a moment that this was Umbridge and not Voldemort…Priori Incantatem wasn't going to happen here. Not that I could've cast much else with this many people in the way. I owe you guys."

Dora's eyes snapped back open and her jaw dropped slightly as she finally realized that the blur who'd gotten to Harry with her had been Neville Bloody Longbottom. " _Neville_?!"

"I was talking with Susan and Hannah when she cast that curse and…well nobody else seemed to be moving besides you, Dora, so…I didn't hurt either of you did I?"

" _HARRY!_ " The three teens' heads turned and they only just managed to brace themselves as another brunette blur parted the crowd and slammed into them driving all four students back to the ground. "Harry! I knew she was evil and I knew that this was suspect, but I never once thought that she would ever try to kill you – I can't believe she did that in the middle of the Great Hall with students everywhere and that the professors didn't react sooner, or that _I_ didn't react sooner – I was just in shock because I never expected something like this to happen _here_ – especially when it's not even Halloween or the end of the year – thank god and Merlin and Magic that Neville was there and that Dora is quick on her feet – I just, I just, I'm – "

"Hermione! I'm okay! Breathe! Stop babbling and breathe," Harry said. One arm was wrapped around Dora and the other was firmly around Hermione as she sobbed into his chest. His eyes met Dora and she nodded. Pulling back she let him move his second arm to Hermione's back to try and comfort the girl.

Dora slowly picked herself up and held out a hand to pull Neville up as well. The two of them stood watch over Harry and Hermione as McGonagall hurried towards them from the head table. Much of the Great Hall was emptied though several clusters of students had hung back near the walls and the doors. Luna strode towards them with a dark expression of her normally dreamy face and Ron quickly jogged up with her. Both pulled up beside Dora and Neville just as McGonagall came to a halt. "Mr. Potter, Ms. Kirk, Mr. Longbottom, are any of you injured?"

"We're fine, Professor," Harry said nodding up at her from his position on the floor.

"Professor," Neville asked raising a slightly trembling hand, "Merlin's balls what the just happened?"

McGonagall sighed and shut her eyes. The weariness in the droop of her shoulders would be evident even to those without Auror training. "We don't know yet. While normally I would berate you for your language, Mr. Longbottom…at this juncture I honestly feel rather like cursing myself so please just keep it to a minimum. Rest assured we will get to the bottom of this. Professor Flitwick is contacting the Aurors as we – " She cut off as doors to the Great Hall were thrown open and Amelia, Tonks and Shacklebolt all came in with their wands up.

Amelia cast a quick glance about the room before lowering her wand and striding forward straight to McGonagall. "Minerva, what the bloody hell just happened? We were on our way here when my niece sent a message saying there'd been an attempted murder. Judging by the goggling crowds and the bound…Undersecretary, I'm inclined to belief Susan was not exaggerating."

"She was not," McGonagall said grimacing. She gestured behind her towards the prone, unconscious form of the toad. "Madame Umbridge just cast two Killing Curses at Mr. Potter. In the middle of the Great Hall. I…I am highly considering offering a sacrifice to the gods that none of the students were killed."

"Her aim was right awful," Ron commented. "The first shot nearly took out Dora when Harry barely twisted and then almost winged a Hufflepuff who was standing in the wrong place. The second shot looked like she thought Harry was an owl or something."

Amelia's puckered expression left no doubt that she was torn between acknowledging Ron's comments and completely ignoring the information. After a moment she seemed to accept a compromise by nodding at the redhead and turning back to McGonagall. "Preliminary opinion?"

"I am highly suspect in my opinion of Madame Umbridge and what I have to say should not be said in front of children. However…this seems extreme even for her."

"Could she have been spelled?" Shacklebolt asked. Dora felt her lips rise in a snarl and her hair shift to red at those words. Shack was supposed to be on _their_ side! "A strong confundus or Imperi– "

"That _bitch_ was not being controlled by anything other than hatred and insanity!" Dora growled. The adults turned to her rearing back slightly at the vehemence in her voice. Neville, Ron and Harry all nodded in agreement. Only Hermione and Luna had markedly different reactions. Hermione's head finally lifted from Harry's chest and she turned her gaze on Dora with her eyes narrowing to thin slits. Luna's gaze wasn't nearly as focused, but for anyone who knew her it was clear that the blonde was not remotely happy. "You weren't here. You didn't see her eyes. She didn't have any of the glassy, groggy expressions that Imperius victims display and she was practically _giddy_ before she tried to curse him! She was completely in control!"

"That isn't necessarily the only indications of being under the thrall of a curse. Merely the most obvious," Shacklebolt explained with a sigh. "There are dozens of little nuances that we are trained to recognize as Aurors."

It was all Dora could do to avoid throttling the man. This was her own fault. She should've crafted a backstory with someone in law enforcement having raised her instead being closer to a passed around orphan. Now would be the perfect time for her backup plan to start working…

"Boss," Tonks said frowning. The metamorph's hair had stayed a deep purple which Dora knew was a mark of frustration and mild confusion. "I don't think we can afford to take chances here. We should wake Umbit- _bridge_ up and give her veritaserum. Imperious victims can't answer questions about their time under the curse's instructions and confundus victims wouldn't make any sense."

Shacklebolt shook his head. "She's a personal friend of the Minister. We're never going to get approval for that, Tonks. Professor, I'm afraid it's likely the best that we can do is remove her from the school and ensure that we impress upon the Minister that someone else needs to take her place until the investigation has been completed – sometime over the _summer_ of course."

Amelia scowled with her gaze fixed on the toad. "You may be right, Shacklebolt. At minimum I can lock her in a cell for the day, but as soon as Fudge hears of this he's going to get her out and – "

"Boss," Tonks said again. This time her eyes were narrowed and her hair had shifted to a shade of purple so dark it was nearly black – suspicion. "Article 52 of the Emergency Dispensations and Allowances Act gives the senior on-site officer permission to administer veritaserum with acknowledgement of their Department Head if there is determined to be a legitimate ongoing threat to at least 30 pureblood members of society in the area."

"Oh it does, does it?" Amelia said twisting to direct her full gaze on Tonks. "And you know this verbatim from a 200 year old text why?"

 _Because I told her to look it up now get the stupid potion! You want the Toad gone just as much as we do!_ Dora mentally shouted. She managed to restrict her outward expression to a simple grinding of the teeth, but it was enough to draw an even stronger narrow-eyed gaze from Hermione.

"I was looking over the older manual this morning, Boss," Tonks said. "I was…studying for the next round of promotions. Wanted to get a jump on things."

Amelia nodded and pulled a book out of her pocket flipping it open. "Well, it doesn't hurt to check." In less than a minute, a decidedly predatory smile split Amelia's face. "Excellent memory, Tonks, we'll make a Senior Auror of you yet. Shacklebolt see if Professor Snape has some veritaserum. Tonks, with me. Professor McGonagall we'll need you to keep the surroundings clear. Unfortunately I can't use an empty classroom as the regulation specifically states that the veritaserum must be used in public in the same vicinity as the initial attack with the attempted victims present."

McGonagall nodded. "Very well. I will have Professor Flitwick ensure the students remain at a reasonable distance. Professor Babbling is with Madam Umbridge. She should be an excellent final hazard for anyone attempting to venture too close for your comfort."

"I am sorry, but I feel I came into this conversation late. Why exactly is Filius to setup a perimeter?" Dumbledore's voice cut through as he walked up. The twinkle was definitively _not_ present and the way his face was puckered one could be forgiven for thinking that he had eaten a particularly sour lemon drop.

"Umbridge is being questioned on recent events in accordance with DMLE procedural guidelines distributed via Wizengamot session 1160-2," Amelia responded. "This should not take long once Shacklebolt returns with veritaserum. Ah, here he is now. Excuse me, Headmaster."

Dumbledore frowned, but remained quiet. Dora was almost impressed. It seemed the man _didn't_ actually try to save _everyone_.

The group of adults moved over towards the head table with the still bound Toad and proceeded to revive her. Umbridge was awake barely an instant before he breathed a huge sigh and smiled. "Ah! I am free! My mind is my own again. Thank you…Madam Bones for bringing me back to my senses."

Dora had to fight to avoid smacking her head on the floor. In what world did _that_ qualify as shaking off the Imperius curse?!

Apparently Amelia agreed. "Auror Shacklebolt, administer the potion and let's get this over with."

"What potion? What are you doing? Is that veritaserum?" Umbridge asked. Shacklebolt picked up the eyedropper and quickly filled it leading to her eyes widening to almost comical proportions. "You can't give that to me! I am the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic not some common mu-mixed blood! I'll have all your jobs for this! You'll never work in the government again you pathetic, ignorant, fools!" Shacklebolt rolled his eyes and spelled her jaw open enough to calmly place three drops onto her tongue. Instantly Umbridge quieted down and fell mostly limp against her bonds.

"Madame Umbridge, what is your name and position?" Amelia asked.

"Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic," the Toad replied in a monotone.

"What is the thing you most regret?" Amelia said though this time a small grimace crossed her face. Dora couldn't blame her on that; the security questions for field veritaserum sessions had a tendency to be uncomfortably personal. It was the nature of the beast unfortunately.

"Not being able to kill Harry Potter when I had the chance." Everyone within hearing felt their eyes widening. It was one thing to see the Toad attempt to kill Harry; it was quite another to hear it calmly stated that this was her biggest regret. "I am unsure whether not inviting Cornelius to spend the night before our great victory is a smaller or greater regret."

Amelia recovered quickly and shook her head before refocusing on Umbridge. "What do you mean 'our great victory'? You and who else?"

"Myself and Cornelius. He explicitly told me last night to take care of the Potter problem and that the brat needed to leave the playing field. I read between the lines and took the appropriate steps," Umbridge stated. Her feelings on the matter were apparently strong enough to leak through the potion's effects and the devotion in her tone was disturbing. Dora's stomach plummeted. She had _known_ that the bitch was dangerous and she'd _still_ poked that dragon! She should've just damned the consequences and killed the woman herself instead of risked Harry!

"Did you work with anyone else?" Amelia asked.

"Only Cornelius. I only ever work with Cornelius. Whenever I use someone else as an intermediary I ensure they are obliviated afterwards. That Higgins courier for the Dementor reassignment to Potter's neighborhood over the summer is an excellent example."

Dora's mouth dropped open and Shacklebolt and Tonks reared back at that proclamation. _Umbridge sent those Dementors after him? I…I can't believe…this is too good for her._ Amelia straight up hissed as she twisted away from the small group clustered on Umbridge. "Administer the antidote and get her out of my sight. Higgins has a wife and child and he can barely even remember his own name after that obliviate. Tonks, clean up here. Shacklebolt, once Umbridge is in a cell get the Minister into interrogation. Even if we can't make this stick on him, I'll see him out of office before the sun sets."

"Yes, ma'am," two voices echoed. Shacklebolt quickly dripped the antidote onto Umbridge's tongue and stunned her before leaving with the levitating toad drifting behind him.

As Amelia moved over to speak with the Professors alone, Tonks came to the small group clustered near Dora. "You lot alright?"

"We're fine," Harry said with a nod. "Generally these things happen closer to the end of the year. This is a bit unusual."

"Unusual…you are one weird kid, you know that, Harry?" Tonks said with a snort of amusement. "Dora, can I talk to you for a moment?" Dora nodded and followed Tonks as she walked off to the side. They quickly left the Great Hall and mounted the steps towards one of the unused classrooms on the second floor. The door had closed and silencing and warding spells were expanding around the room before Dora felt the first inkling that _perhaps_ she should be _slightly_ worried about the nature of this…'talk'.

"So uh," Dora said shifting her weight enough to try and appear nervous and shaken. It wasn't even much of an act at this point considering the events of the morning. "What's going on, Tonks?"

"Drop it," Tonks said all levity gone and her face set in stone. Her hand tapped her leg in a way that Dora knew meant she was trying to decide whether or not to redraw her wand. "Drop the morph. I want to see who you are really."

Dora gulped. This wasn't good. She couldn't tell her previous self what was going on. Not yet. She just needed another few weeks and the worst danger would be over. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Bullshite. Fudge is a complete idiot, but even he's not stupid enough to explicitly tell Umbitch to murder Harry. You're skilled enough to take on _Minerva McGonagall_ to fool _Dumbledore_. I have no doubt that you could _easily_ look like Fudge and convince Umbridge to go postal. Not to mention that mysterious note on my desk to brush up on a law written over two hundred years ago and last used in the 1920s! What the hell were you trying to do!? Was the revenge worth it, Dora? I warned you that if you were a danger to those teens I would step in and – "

"Alright!" Dora shouted. She turned and punched the wall. Cringing, she pulled back and flexed her fingers making sure that none had broken from the moment of passion. "Fine! I told the bitch to do something public and big and stupid. She was just supposed to cast a blasting or cutting curse or something. He can block those in his sleep and I was sticking to him like white on rice to knock him out of the way if she went for something worse. I didn't even think she _knew_ worse spells let alone could _cast_ them!"

Tonks balled her hands into fists in her hair and grunted. "How could you possibly think that was a _good idea_?! She's clearly insane!"

"No, I missed that little fact! Of course she's insane! That was the whole bloody _point_!" Dora kicked one of the chairs and scowled at the pain in her shin. She was hurting herself more than the castle and it was pissing her off even more. "She's protected by the bloody Minister and he's protected by Malfoy's pocketbook. If she just disappeared into the woods and never walked out, then Fudge would go on a rampage. Even if it _wasn't_ me that ended up killing her, he'd have sought out Harry and his group and destroyed us all just because he's petty and vindictive and stupid. If she _stayed_ here without consequence than Harry would've snapped. The only reason he didn't attack her yesterday was because he didn't realize she could follow through on her threat. Hell half the bloody Quidditch team would probably have attacked her before the week was up! This shite was only a matter of time so I tried to do it in a controlled way. One where only _she_ would take the fall. If we knew it was coming we could be prepared and careful!"

Dora took a deep breath and met Tonks' stare with her own. "I did what I did to _protect_ Harry. Your Order has proven it can't do that. You had a guard _leave_. Multiple times! You had people on him with strict orders not to speak to him. _Not to speak to him!_ He'd just seen a friend killed in front of him and was living with relatives that neglect and emotionally abuse him! Ignoring him was the worst possible thing you people could do! You follow a man who tried to obliviate me for helping my best friend! You don't get to tell me that I'm a danger to him. I _know_ that this shite went sideways and I fully own up to that. But you people have fucked up just as badly as I have if not worse. At least I tried to get to him when things went south. Would Mundungus do the same? Would Hestia leap into the path of a Killing Curse for a man she's said ten words to?"

Tonks was quiet for a long time. Finally she crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall, her morph subtly shifting back to the full default. That more than anything else saw Dora ceasing her rant and trying to calm herself only ever shifting to her default when she was completely serious. "I admit we've screwed the pooch on this too. But this was reckless and stupid, Dora."

"I agree. But I couldn't think of anything else. I honestly never thought she would go that far. If I had…I would've just – "

"I know," Tonks cut in. "I know. Look it's obvious you care about him. About all of these teens. Will you please let me see your normal form?"

Dora shut her eyes and slowly shook her head. "Not right now. At the end of the year if you still need to know…if you still can't fully trust me, ask me then. But not right now."

"I do trust you, Dora. That's part of the problem here, because from everything I've seen and heard I _shouldn't_. Yet my gut screams at me that I can," Tonks sighed. "Swear to me that nothing like this happens again. Swear to me that if things reach a head you will reach out to me before taking action like that."

"I swear."

"Okay. Okay," Tonks said stepping away from the wall and walking towards the door. "Remember, Dora, this shite doesn't just affect you and Harry. Everyone in that room was at risk from the Toad. You have tunnel vision and if you're not careful it's going to get someone killed."

Tonks was out the door before Dora nodded glumly and murmured a soft, "I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Much thanks to RhysThornbery for his beta assistance on this.
> 
> Harry used Expelliarmus here because he was worried about collateral damage primarily and that's a relatively safe spell considering how many people were between him and Umbridge. Same with Luna. That Luna intentionally depowered her spell is the only reason that Umbridge survived being hit by it. Don't piss off Luna Lovegood in my stories.
> 
> The professors were so slow to react because the entire 'battle' from first AK to last trio of spells took between five-eight seconds and everyone was mostly still in system shock at Umbridge actually firing off a Killing Curse in the middle of the Great Hall. Fun fact, the seven teachers that actually tried to help: Flitwick, McGonagall, Babbling (Shiva from Rune Stone Path basically), Sprout, Hagrid, Vector and surprisingly enough, Trelawney.
> 
> \/\/\/\/
> 
> Mad-Eye's Rules For Successfully Reaching Retirement:
> 
> Rule 14: When breaking the law, don't get caught and have a scapegoat ready.
> 
> \/\/\/\/
> 
> Fic Recommendation: "Harry Potter and the Sword of Gryffindor" by cloneserpents. The primary pairings are Harry/Hermione, Ron/Luna and Tonks/Remus. It's mostly an erotic comedy, but has enough plot to keep things interesting and moving forward to completion. Many of the characters quickly become pretty much totally OOC but dear lord is it hilarious. It's a fun read and it's complete.


	9. Normal Relationship Problems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: And so we approach the climax. Not much to say at this point. Enjoy!

**Chapter 9: Normal Relationship Problems**

Dora was still sitting at one of the desks in the classroom where Tonks had left her when Luna walked in and shut the door. Dora lifted hand in a listless greeting, but didn't raise her head from its position on the table. It was only when she heard the little Ravenclaw murmur several powerful anti-eavesdropping spells that Dora groaned and turned enough that she could see Luna with a single eye. "Damn, you too huh?"

Luna sat down at the chair in front of her and stared. Her eyes were narrowed and her nostrils flared. Taking a deep breath Luna nodded. "We are friends, Dora Kirk, are we not?"

"Of course we are, Luna," Dora replied immediately as she sat up fully and shook her head. "Why would you question that?"

"Because you _could_ have killed me today," Luna stated with a single raised eyebrow. "I have no doubt that you were trying to help. I certainly cannot argue with the final outcome and it _was_ quite satisfying to see the horrible woman laid bare by her own stupidity and gullibility. I am not even mad at your chosen method of action."

Dora frowned. "Wait, Tonks is easy enough to figure, but how did _you_ know what I did?"

Luna leaned back and giggled slightly. "So many months of being friends and you still don't quite understand me or what I see do you?" She waved a hand airily and shrugged. "That is not a conversation for this time. Suffice it to say for now that it was clear to me you'd recently done something you loathed and with Umbridge stating that Minister Fudge told her to attack Harry Potter…it does not take a Ravenclaw to reach the correct conclusion."

"Sooo," Dora asked resolving to ignore the mystery that was Luna Lovegood until she had more time to deal with any _weird_ revelations about the girl. "If you're not mad at what I did or how I did it then what _are_ you mad at?"

"That you listened to the Rumplepinks and let them persuade you to do it alone without consulting anyone else. We could have been better prepared had we known."

"Wait, wait, Rumplepinks? I have to ask, Luna, what's a Rumplepink and why that name?"

Luna rolled her eyes and reached out to tap Dora's temple. "I call them Rumplepinks because they are pink and small and they wrap their lies in truth just like Rumplestiltskin does in his story. The Rumplepinks try to convince people to take a self-destructive course of action and they prance around the target for nearly a day afterwards in glee."

Dora ran a hand down her face and groaned. "Yeah sure, close enough I guess. I was trying to protect you all. You know if this went even slightly sideways before the end that – "

"The Minister would hound us all, yes. Dora Kirk, I already have a target on my back thanks to Daddy's magazine, Hermione already has one thanks to being one of Harry's closest confidants and the Weasleys have one on theirs thanks to their father's relentless pursuit of all things Muggle and staunch support of Dumbledore. Even Neville has a target since his grandmother is quite adamant about Fudge's stupidity, corruption and general unsuitability for office." Luna frowned and looked out the window. "I thank you for your concern, but it was unnecessary. Please don't forget that in the future. We can handle a single Toad. An army might be a bit much until we have exited school, but a single Toad and her handler's inquiry are more than simple enough to weather."

Dora grimaced and nodded. "I'm sorry, Luna. And I understand. I'll do better moving forward. Unless there's a small army I will talk to my friends before acting out again. Okay?" She kept her eyes focused on Luna's forehead instead of her eyes. The fact that if things went wrong there _would_ be a small army at the end of the year was not something she was willing to share with her friend at this point.

"That is all I ask, Dora. Thank you for listening," Luna said. Her face relaxed and she gave Dora a small smile. Getting up, the younger girl moved in and hugged Dora. "Don't try to fight the world all by yourself. Harry does that enough and it destroys him every time. I may not have been friends with him long, but I see a lot more than most. You've done well with pulling him out of that rut. Please don't fall into it yourself."

"I'll do my best. Thanks, Luna," Dora murmured hugging the blonde back. All things considered…it was actually sound advice.

* * *

After Luna left Dora was in no mood to try and find Harry or the rest of her friends. Instead deciding it would be better to take a few minutes alone, she made her way up to the Room of Requirement. Three short paces later and she had a lovely little privacy/relaxation abode. It was the perfect little fireplace suite that she and Harry tended to use often when they needed a few minutes away from the crowd. She'd even taken Hermione to the little retreat once or twice to help the brunette study when the Common Room was too lively and the library was too crowded.

None of that ended up working out in her favor today though. She'd barely sat down before the Room suddenly seemed to double in size, copy itself and grow a wall in the middle of the two halves. Dora was busy trying to decipher what the hell had just happened when she heard two voices coming from the other side of the new partition. "You know we could have just talked in a classroom, Hermione."

"Yes, Harry, we could have, but this is more…private."

Dora sighed and started to get up to find a way around the wall to sit with her space invading friends and commiserate about Hogwarts having a mind of its own when Harry spoke up again. "I appreciate the effort to keep your concerns about Dora private, Hermione. You really don't need to pass around the Quaffle though."

Dora froze midrise. Hermione was 'concerned'. Of course she was. She'd basically been at DEFCON 1 before Tonks had dragged Dora away.

"That reference was highly forced and didn't even really make sense in the context, Harry. Please stop reaching for wizarding idioms when Muggle ones do perfectly well," Hermione groaned. "And how do you know I want to speak about your girlfriend?"

Dora settled herself back into the armchair and listened intently. Yes, how _did_ Harry know that?

"Well considering you were glaring at her back when she walked away and that she shouted out a warning before Umbridge actually started to raise her wand I figured that was the main reason you'd grabbed me as soon as the Aurors left."

Dora slapped a hand to her face at that. She had _really_ screwed up that entire situation…

"Oh. Yes. Well. You noticed that too then?"

"I'm reckless and noble, not an idiot, Hermione," Harry said chuckling.

Dora could practically hear Hermione rolling her eyes. "It wasn't _just_ that, Harry. She was also nervous since waking up and was very cagey when speaking about Umbridge prior to the attack. She had to have known that something was about to happen, yet she didn't say anything about it to any of us!"

Harry sighed. "Well, yeah. I'm willing to bet she was the Fudge in Umbridge's potion induced rant."

"Which is a major problem, Harry."

"Just so we're clear," Harry said slowly, "do you think Dora intentionally advised Umbridge to kill me?"

" _What_?!" Hermione shouted, scandalized. The surprise in her voice lifted a weight from Dora's shoulders. That had been where she thought that Hermione was going as well. That the brunette didn't think she'd sunk that _low_ …it meant more to Dora than she had expected. "Harry! She obviously loves you! Of course she'd never set someone to _kill_ you!"

"Okay, we agree on that. Wait you think she _loves_ loves me? But I'm just…never mind, that's not important right now. Anyway, I fail to see the problem here regarding her actions."

Hermione huffed, "It was reckless and foolish and could have easily gotten you seriously hurt even _if_ Umbridge hadn't been completely insane."

"So she fits right in as a Gryffindor then?" Harry asked nonchalantly.

"What?" Dora found herself nodding along with Hermione's complete flat-footed response.

"Hermione, Dora hasn't done anything that you, Ron or I haven't done already."

"I find that very hard to believe. Harry, this is _serious_! She goaded Umbridge into attacking you in public just to get the Toad discredited in a way that she couldn't come back from!"

"And it worked!" Harry sighed. "Hermione, think about it. What have _we_ done? Philosopher's Stone first year; all three of us ran straight to it when we knew it was being guarded by Professor level traps and a _teacher_ was trying to steal it. Sealed platform barrier prior to second year? Ron and I steal a flying car instead of waiting for the _dozens_ of parents to realize something was wrong. Chamber of Secrets at the end of second year; Ron and I just jumped straight into that basilisk's hole with the worst possible backup imaginable _plus_ a _broken_ wand! Third year, you and I jump _through time_ to save someone we'd _just_ met! Last year it was you and me against the _entire_ student population of _three magical schools_! This year you've helped Dora to impersonate _McGonagall_ to hoodwink Dumbledore and then half of us waved our wands in his face! Hermione, we do 'crazy and reckless' like it's on sale for a single pence."

Dora frowned as she considered that. He really did have a point there…Apparently Hermione agreed as she was quiet for several long moments. "It was still almost always two or three of us, Harry. She should've consulted with us first."

"I agree, but I'm not going to yell at her for it. She's already been yelled at."

"Yes, I'm certain that Tonks did a decent job of that, but that's no excuse not to express our disappointment and – "

Harry cut her off with a sigh. "And did you see her when she ran away after Luna came out of that room?" There was a long silence before Harry continued on. "She looked like someone had just killed her puppy, Hermione. Those two have done a very good job of convincing her that this was a stupid plan. I'm not going to heap onto that pile; especially when no one was hurt and the Toad _is_ gone."

Hermione groaned and the dull slap of a body hitting the soft couch cushions resounded through the partition. "Fine! When you put it like that I can understand. I'm still angry with her though!"

"And just what were you planning if she hadn't beaten you to it?" Harry asked with an amused lilt to his voice.

Incoherent grumbling was the only response that Dora could hear though apparently it was just as unintelligible to Harry. "Gonna have to speak up there, Hermione," he laughed.

"I was considering brewing a Draught of Living Death, staging an argument with Snape and then framing him for it." The silence that spanned that statement was deafening. At least until both Harry and Hermione burst out in laughter. Dora had to grab a pillow and smother herself with it to prevent her own laughs from escaping. "Alright, alright you've made your point. I won't say anything to her. I reserve the right to confront her with this poor judgment later though if it's required."

"Of course, Hermione. _Whatever you say_." He teased.

A snort of laughter and a light playful slap were soon followed by, "Boys. Sometimes I wonder how you can all be so thoughtful yet _exceeding_ moronic at the same time!"

"At least we make sense," Harry replied. "Girls are just insane all around."

"Hey!"

"You know you are. Now come on, let's go find my girlfriend so I can give her a hug and tell her I still want to keep dating her."

"Oh very well, if I must I must I suppose..."

The slam of a door was followed almost immediately by the room dropping back into a single lounge configuration. Dora glared at the walls before rolling her eyes. "You know you should be more careful, Hogwarts. Keep doing things like that and some might start to wonder just how 'alive' you really are." She stood and patted the wall lightly on her way out. "Thanks," she murmured. "I needed to hear that."

* * *

The rest of the day passed relatively uneventfully until Dora tried to settle down to sleep. Yet again rest eluded her and she tossed and turned for nearly ten minutes before giving it up and padding out to the Common Room with just her robe and slippers. She pulled up short and blinked in surprise seeing Harry sitting on one of the couches and waving to her. He stood up and grabbed a bundle next to him, walking up to her. "Um…hi…" she murmured.

"Hey," he replied leaning down to lightly kiss her lips. He pulled back and eyed her figure with a nod. "Well at least you remembered the footwear this time. Guess I can leave the shoes behind. Trousers are still a requirement though it seems. Here you go." Passing over part of his bundle, the rest was banished back up the stairs to the boys dorm leaving Dora frowning in confusion at the pants in her hand.

"What's going on?"

"You were heading to the Astronomy Tower right?" he queried.

Dora nodded. "Well yeah, but…man you really are the best, you know that?" Dora smiled and kissed his cheek then slipped on the trousers and linked her arm through his. "Got the Cloak?"

"Right here." He pulled out his Invisibility Cloak and draped it over the two of them. Walking as one, Dora and Harry quickly made their way out of the Common Room and through the quiet castle to the top of the Astronomy Tower. They were sitting and just staring at the stars together for nearly half an hour before Harry made to speak again. "I know that you manipulated Umbridge into that spectacle this morning, Dora."

She grimaced and wriggled deeper into his side shutting her eyes as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"I really do appreciate you looking out for me Dora and getting my broom and Quidditch back too."

"But…"

He sighed and shrugged as best he could with her on one shoulder. "But you really need to let one of the rest of us know next time. I do crazy things a lot, but I rarely do it alone. I almost never listen to someone telling me it's a bad idea, but there's always _someone_ there to get help if it's needed. A second set of eyes, a second wand, a second voice of reason…You need to tell us, Dora."

"I wanted you all to have plausible deniability," Dora said softly. "Fudge is going to demand that he either be let off or submitted to the truth serum. Either way, an inquiry is eventually going to come down. I didn't want you all to have to worry about beating veritaserum questioning. Or to worry about feeling guilty about setting a woman up to head to Azkaban."

Harry nodded. "Again, I appreciate the attempt, but it _should_ have been our choice. And I rather doubt that any one of our friends would care about her being sent to the Dementors. Hermione was apparently planning something almost as bad!"

Dora snorted at that. Yes, the Draught of Living Death would have been a great ending as well; if perhaps not as flashy. "I promise I'll do better in the future. You should probably know that I don't really consider myself 'light' anymore, Harry. I…" she paused and clutched at his hand hard enough to make him wince slightly. "You'd probably be better off with someone else, Harry. Someone better than me."

Harry remained quiet for a long time. Long enough for Dora to seriously consider if she should leave. She even let her morph go on her hair and felt the default brown seek through. Eventually he reached up with his free hand and turned her face to meet his eyes. "Is that what you want, Dora?"

"No," she whispered. "I'm selfish and I don't want to let go. You, Luna and Hermione are basically all I have now. I don't want to let you go."

"Then don't," Harry said. He leaned back in and she felt his lips brush her own. A soft moan escaped her and she pushed roughly back grasping the back of his head and pulling him into her. They stayed locked together until both pulled back for air leaving a small smile on Dora's face as she snuggled back into him.

"Dora," he said wrapping his arms around her. "I care about you a lot. You need to start trusting me more though. This isn't my first time through this stuff. If you can't trust me when the shite hits the fan then this is never going to work. Promise me you'll tell me when something big comes up again?"

Her insides flipped. This was the perfect time to tell him _everything_. All she had to do was take the leap. She could tell him who she really was and how she got here and how things had gone bad and why she was still being so…so…she could… _And what if he leaves and I can't save him?_

"I promise," she said softly. There would be time to tell him everything after the Ministry. After she made sure he survived this year. After she had just a few more weeks with him.

"Good," Harry said pulling her close. "Dora…if Umbridge had been just a bit better of a shot…or even a bit worse of one…You could've died today just as easily as me…I can't lose you. Not now. Not…I can't lose you, Dora…"

"I'm right here, Harry. I'm not going anywhere. You're going to have to kick me out yourself to get rid of me," she stated softly. Reaching up, she rested one hand against his cheek and pulled his head down close for a deep kiss. Her other hand snaked inside his shirt and wrapped around his back using the leverage to press herself deeper in his embrace.

"That's not going to happen, Dora," he replied, his breath against her ear sending shivers down her spine. Shivers that Harry apparently noticed. "You're cold."

"Not why I'm shivering, Harry," Dora purred as his words breezed past her ear again.

She pulled back to smile up at him and after a moment saw the light click on for him. "Oh. Yeah, I guess that makes sense too…Dora…would…err…would you like to…go to the Room of Requirement for the night? It's…I would really like to spend the night with you, and to remind the both of us that we're each still here."

I'd like that, Harry. I'd like that a lot."

* * *

The week before exams Dora found herself wandering through Hogsmeade with Harry. It was the last weekend they'd have to relax before the exams started. Before Dora would finally be certain, one way or the other, if she'd been able to make enough changes to steer things away from the inevitable. Harry, Hermione and Luna had all noticed how her hands had been curling into fists more often than not and how her back was near constantly ramrod straight with her muscles coiling tightly under her skin. Even without the more subtle signs of her increasing stress, there was the fact that she'd dropped her hair color change game and taken to keeping it a simple, deep blue. This Saturday trip to Hogsmeade had been practically shoved down her throat by her friends. While Luna seemed to understand that Dora's time trip incident was likely imminent, her fellow Gryffindors were blaming her stress on the looming exams.

"Dora you don't have to jump every time the door opens," Harry said chuckling into his butterbeer across the table from her. "I think if Voldemort was going to attack us in The Three Broomsticks there would be a lot more screaming beforehand to alert us he's on the way."

"Hahaha," Dora deadpanned glaring at him for a moment before rolling her eyes and playfully kicking him in the shin. Her friends hadn't had to try very hard to convince her to come on this date. Spending time with Harry was certainly a worthy distraction; even if she couldn't _quite_ keep the Auror aspect of her brain from constantly screaming in muted panic whenever a loud noise sounded nearby. "You know it could always be another Ministry flunky come to torture you again too."

"Nah, not with Umbridge gone and Fudge being kicked out. Shame he didn't get Azkaban," Harry said with an exaggerated sigh.

"From what I understand Madame Bones couldn't actually pin anything on him."

Harry smirked. "Too bad being an obstructive idiot isn't punishable by law."

Dora just snorted and shook her head at him. Not that she disagreed, but…well, just getting the fool out of power would be good enough for her. It was still a tossup on whether Bones or Scrimgeour would fill the top slot when the emergency election went through. Considering their current temporary replacement Pius Thicknesse was doing absolutely nothing – and had even gone as far as sending _Dawlish_ to replace Umbridge for the remainder of the school year – it would be somewhat hard to wind up with someone worse. She was quietly hopeful for Bones, but Dora didn't really think that the Director would ever actually accept the position without quite a bit of yelling from multiple parties.

"So how's the exam prep going? Do you think we got you good enough with the Runes to be able to pass the O.W.L. for it?" Dora asked.

"Probably," Harry said. "I'm honestly more worried about being able to stay awake in History long enough to finish _that_ exam."

Dora chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, somehow I doubt I'll do good there either. Hermione's probably the only one who'll be able to finish it."

"No argument there." Harry let his thought trail off as Hedwig swooped into the pub, circled the rafters once and drifted down to land on Harry's shoulder. "Hey, girl, what are you doing here? Just saying hello?" Hedwig affectionately nipped at his ear before hopping onto the table and sticking her leg out to Dora.

"Me, huh?" Dora asked raising her eyebrows. She reached out to take the small piece of rolled up parchment from the owl and smiled as Hedwig took a sip of her drink as payment before hopping back up onto Harry's shoulder. "Wonder who it's…oh. Padfoot."

"What did he say?"

Dora read through the letter a second time and felt warmth spread through her insides. Sirius had been short and to the point not mincing any words in his correspondence. Dora read it a third time and let her hair switch to a light green before turning it over and showing Harry.

" _Welcome to the family_ with a small winky face next to it," Harry read. He quirked his mouth for a moment obviously trying to determine just what the line meant, before groaning and wiping a hand through his hair. "I am going to have to have some serious words with that old dog."

"I think it's cute," Dora commented folding the parchment up and tucking it into her pocket. "He obviously approves of our relationship."

Harry glared at her. "No offense, Dora, but we are _way_ too young for Sirius to making marriage jokes! We've barely even been officially going out for five months!"

Dora just smirked and patted Harry's hand. "And he's over the Moon that you've managed to bag a beautiful bird like me." She held her head up high and struck a small pose lengthening her hair to make it more regal and lady-like. "Hedwig agrees with me don't you girl?" A loud affirmative sounding bark met that remark and the owl flew over to Dora's shoulder bobbing her head at Harry.

The poor boy was left to roll his eyes and hold his hands up to the heavens. "Merlin help me, I am surrounded by maniacs with a horrible sense of humor!"

"Takes one to know one!" Dora replied laughing and letting the high-and-mighty morph go. She shifted back to default Dora and grabbed her drink while giving Hedwig a piece of her food. "You know you love us, Harry."

He smiled and looked down into his drink. His response was so soft that she barely even caught it as Harry whispered, "Yeah, yeah I do."

* * *

Exams. O.W.L.s. The end of the long year. The end of a beautiful lie. The end of a beloved fantasy. The culmination of months of stress and hard work.

Dora felt like she was going to throw up.

She was under no delusions that the end of this school year would lead to the end of Voldemort. There was simply no way that she would be able to convince the Order members that she knew exactly when and where a large group of the inner circle would be meeting. Not without casting suspicion on herself anyways. Even explaining everything with the aid of veritaserum, Legilimency and a Penseive wouldn't help matters. At best they'd consent to admitting a danger and then fall in line with Dumbledore's policy of 'wait and see, only react after it's too late to be truly effective'. It's what she would have done if confronted by a time traveling version of one of their members – even if that member was herself…Why risk everything on setting a counter-ambush for something that may not even happen? Why risk resources, political capital and personnel on something where – even if the information wasn't tainted – events could have been altered enough to change the circumstances for the Death Eaters? Why risk the potential fate of the wizarding world over the word of a single individual with questionable origins and intentions?

Maybe if she had come out with the truth right off the bat to a few key individuals it might be different. Maybe if she had trusted herself or Moody or her mum or Minerva or…maybe, maybe, _maybe_! None of it mattered now. She'd done what she could, where she could.

Despite knowing it probably wouldn't help much, she'd sent a warning note to Tonks. It lacked specific details, but advised her alternate to be prepared for an attack soon and to gather as many Order members as possible for short notice operations 'just in case'. Hedwig had immediately returned with a simple note: _We'll hang around Headquarters for a few days. I want full disclosure once your O.W.L.s are done. –Nymphadora_

"She's mad. She's _really_ mad," Dora murmured as she tucked the note into a pocket.

"Who's mad?" Hermione asked around the corner of her History book never once lifting her eyes from the page. The brunette's other hand reached out and groped for her bagel; nearly half-a-foot to the left of her plate.

Harry chuckled and reached over to pick up the errant piece of breakfast and deposited it into Hermione's still groping hand. "Careful, Hermione, you nearly strayed into the path of Ron's foraging there."

"Hey! I wouldn't have speared her with the fork, I'm careful when it comes to food!" Ron scoffed around his mouthful. Dora groaned. She'd managed to drag some measure of basic manners and forethought from her redheaded friend, but all efforts at improving his eating habits had fallen completely flat.

"Thanks for the save, Harry," Hermione murmured as she took a distracted bite and flipped her page. "Oh my goodness! I completely forgot that Henrick Warhammer led the Second Contingent in the 1452 uprising!"

Suppressing further laughter Harry just rolled his eyes at his friend and turned to Dora. He pointed to the pocket Tonks' reply had disappeared into and shot Dora a look. His raised eyebrows left little question over the nature of his inquiry. Dora shrugged and said, "Tonks. I just have a bad feeling and she's still a bit annoyed that I can't explain it well."

"You could just say Luna said something to you," he said.

Dora sighed and shook her head. "One thing I _have_ figured out about our dear little Ravenclaw is that she definitely _is not_ a Seer. I don't know _how_ that girl knows what she knows, but it's not because she's seeing the future or anything."

"Okay. Well if your worries get anything more concrete let me know. If we follow the pattern of my last four years we're due for a crisis soon anyway."

Hermione nodded and flipped another page while waving a fork towards Harry. "Please tell whatever goddess of luck or fate you have your feud with to wait until tomorrow, Harry. Or at least this afternoon, please? We only have History and Ancient Runes left after all."

"Wait, Dora and I already took the Ancient Runes one?" Harry said frowning. "Hermione I think you've been studying a bit too hard…"

Hermione shook her head and tried to stab an egg; her fork just barely missed Ron's hand who yelped and cast a dark look towards the oblivious girl. "Sorry, I meant, _I_ have Ancient Runes left. The Arithmancy instructor had to leave early due to family problems so all of us in that course swapped the Ancient Runes and Arithmancy exams to help him out."

"Oh. I was wondering why I couldn't find you while we were waiting yesterday…"

Dora tuned out the rest of their chatter. There really was every chance that nothing would happen. After all, things had been altered so far. She was dating Harry. Snape completely ignored his existence. Dumbledore seemed to be thinking a tad more than usual. The Order was more fractured. Hermione cared _far_ less for authority. Sirius didn't seem nearly as depressed.

And most important of all…Harry had Occlumency barriers. She still wasn't entirely certain whether her hunch of Voldemort drawing him to the Ministry via induced visions was correct, but it certainly made more sense than receiving a threatening owl post or letting Draco deliver a message. It would fit with Snape's poor instruction in the subject as well. If Harry was conned into the trap through a mental connection then they just might make it through this week without any problem.

But would Voldemort just give up if he couldn't get through to Harry to set the bait? Where would he attack then? Using Draco was idiotic, but not necessarily out of the question. He could also try to attack Hermione's mental shields. That wasn't supposed to be possible, but he shouldn't have been able to attack _Harry_ from a distance either so it wouldn't surprise her if the bastard could get to Hermione too. Dora had been alternating with Harry in buffing Hermione's defenses whenever they could drag the girl away from her study efforts. The brunette witch was doing remarkably well in the mind art and Dora was confident that she'd be able to repel anything sent remotely against her shields.

Dora's cheeks pinked slightly as she remembered the last memory she'd witnessed before Hermione managed to fully keep her out. The six year old walking around with a huge hardcover copy of Lord of the Rings had been utterly adorable. The memory has quickly linked to another decidedly less childish memory. The vision of Hermione in an elf getup and with Harry looking like Legolas pinned beneath her was most definitely a fantasy. Having Tonks on a nearby chair regally morphed into a leering Galadriel and Dora laid out beside them looking like Arwen had ended _that_ particular lesson rather quickly.

_Focus, Dora, focus! Rule Number 6: Maintain focus or die! Dammit, I can't keep running in circles like this. I have to start running contingencies and more contingencies. Rule Number 11: Know what to do when it all goes to shite._

She lifted her head up and blinked in confusion as she stared at the exam paper in front of her. When had she gotten to the History exam? With a grimace she realized she was going to do even worse on this exam than the first time she'd taken it. At least Tonks had managed to write _some_ responses. This paper consisted primarily of doodles of Voldemort being stomped on by an angry Hulkish Harry with a few stick figures cheering him on. One of them was probably Hermione judging by the wild lines representing her hair and since one was labeled 'SNORKACK' that was probably Luna…"I am so screwed…" Dora muttered.

Scowling at her own lack of attention to, well _anything_ , she took a glance around the rest of the classroom. Her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of Harry grimacing in the next seat. Dora nearly dismissed it for simple difficulty with his last O.W.L. but the way his teeth were grinding together and the rhythmic clenching and unclenching of his fist…

" _Shite!_ " Dora murmured. The time for contingencies was past.

* * *

"Harry?" Hermione asked as the class filed out of the History of Magic O.W.L. "Harry, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Harry responded. The fact that his reply was forced out between clenched teeth did absolutely nothing to reassure Hermione. Or Dora – though Dora had a fairly good idea of just _why_ he wasn't fine.

"No, you're not," Hermione replied. She bit her lip and looked down at her watch before turning to Dora. "I have to go. If I don't hurry I'll miss the Ancient Runes exam. Will you – "

"Take him to the hospital wing and make sure he gets there?" Dora asked trying to force her face into the semblance of a smile. Considering the deepening frown on Hermione's face she wasn't too successful. "Sure, Hermione. I'll take care of him. Get to your exam. You can meet up with us in about two hours yeah?"

Hermione looked at her watch again and glanced down the corridor. She shut her eyes and turned towards them. Her mouth had opened to reply before Harry cut her off. "Hermione, seriously, go. I'm sure it's just a horrible headache. I'll be fine. Dora's here, Ron's…Ron's probably around the corner with Neville. Go. Madame Pomfrey will have me sorted out in a minute."

Hermione squeezed her hand into a fist and shut her eyes. A moment later she nodded jerkily. "Alright…alright, Dora? Please come let me know if there is something actually wrong. I'll try to finish up quickly." She turned and left at a pace approaching a run and all of a sudden it was just Harry and Dora.

"Harry, come on you need to sit down – and maybe to take a sedative too," Dora murmured grabbing his arm and trying to lead him down the corridor towards the hospital wing. If she could get him unconscious then whatever Voldemort was trying to force into his head would be irrelevant since she could keep him out long enough for the trap to be exposed. Probably.

Harry groaned and rubbed at his forehead. "It feels like someone is bashing on my head with a bloody hammer. Dora, this feels like a Legilimency attempt. I thought you needed eye contact to do that."

"You do. I've never heard of any Legilimency that could be done without eye contact. We're wizards not psychics," she said scowling. _How_ was Voldemort doing this? Even the mages in Merlin's time had needed line of sight to do mental spells! This was almost like the two…were…linked…"Oh bloody hell. Harry – "

Her thought was cut off as Harry cried out in pain. He clapped both hands onto his forehead and went limp in her arms as a strangled sob burst forth from him. Dora's eyes widened and she increased her muscle mass to be able lower the sudden dead weight that was her boyfriend to the floor of the corridor. "Shite, shite, shite, _shite_! I can't knock him out now – not while the bastard's already in. _Shite!_ What now, what now?! Come on, Dora, think, think!"

Harry surged to life again beneath her arms throwing her off through the sudden movement. He bucked up to a sitting position, a growl of rage and pain echoing down the corridor. "He has Sirius. He's going to kill him. Come on!" Leaping to his feet, Harry grabbed Dora's arm and started running down the corridor.

A detached part of Dora calmly analyzed Harry's ragged cry and found the logic within. _Sirius; of course. That would be the perfect way to get him to waltz right into an ambush. Hermione, me, Ron, Sirius, probably even Ginny. Pretend that any of us were being tortured and Harry would run off without a second thought._ The plan was good. Too good. Talking Harry down from blind rage and panic would be next to impossible with Sirius' life on the line.

She'd have to come clean immediately if she wanted to keep him in the castle. But what if he didn't believe her? What if he thought that she was a deep-cover agent for the Death Eaters trying to keep him away? What if he completely ignored her? He knew that she had set Umbridge onto him. He knew that she was a metamorph and her basic form was…fluid. He knew she'd come into the school without any real credentials. He knew that she avoided talking about her 'home' in the 'Coven'. He knew that she was hiding secrets about her past.

Harry wasn't stupid. But he most certainly was _noble_ and _reckless_.

"Harry, stop! Where are we going?"

"Dumbledore! He'll be able to get the rest of the Order together and we can rescue, Sirius!"

That wasn't a bad plan. Except for one glaring flaw. "Dumbledore was called away this morning remember? The lead examiner sent word from the Minister about a last minute ICW meeting!" _Shite! Why would you remind him of that?! The goal is to stall him! Stall, Theodora,_ stall _!_

"Bloody hell!" Harry shouted. His fingers tightened on hers. As they ran into the next intersection Harry twisted to the left and kept running. It only took one more turn before Dora realized he was heading for McGonagall's office.

"Thank, Merlin," she muttered as they ran around another corner.

"What?"

"Min-McGonagall is a good idea! She'll help!" Dora shouted barely managing to catch herself. Her beating heart and rapid breaths were going to become a liability if she couldn't keep her mouth from making things even worse.

Harry barely even slowed enough to wrench the door open before jumping into Minerva McGonagall's office. They were halfway across the room before a very surprised and flustered Deputy Headmistress managed to even lift her head and gape at them. "Mr. Potter! Miss Kirk! What has happened? What is wrong?"

"Voldemort has Sirius and is torturing him right now!" Harry growled as he came to a stop in front of Minerva's desk. "I saw it. Just like with the snake and Mr. Weasley. We need to save him!"

McGonagall's face paled and she immediately pushed back from her desk standing up to fix Harry's eyes with her own. "Did you see where he was?"

"A room with a lot of shelves and glowing spheres. Looked like a storage facility. I _don't know_!" Harry growled and let go of Dora's hand to wrap both fists in his wild hair.

Dora could only clench her own fists in panic. Here was where she couldn't drop the ball. Not now. To lose hold of the situation at this point would bring everything right back around full circle. "Professor, can't you contact him? This could be a trap and we should make sure that Sirius is safe first before we run blindly into an ambush."

"Exactly my thinking Miss Kirk," Minerva stated as she strode around the desk and towards the Floo. Taking a pinch, she tossed it into the fire and leaned down sticking her head into the flames. "Number 12 Grimmauld Place! Sirius Black, if you are there get your mangy arse into this kitchen, _NOW_!"

The shout from their professor drew surprised stares from both students. "I didn't know Professor McGonagall could yell like that…" Harry muttered besides her. Dora just nodded. She'd only ever seen Minerva truly _scared_ once and it hadn't been a pleasant experience.

"Kreacher! Where is your master? Do not take that tone with me! I may not be your mistress, but you are still bound to obey me as with any other Order member; now tell me where Sirius Black is!"

"Please, let this work, please let this work, please," Dora muttered. She felt Harry's hand clutch hers again and she squeezed him back. Minerva would handle this. Tonks and the rest were already at Grimmauld anyway so this was simple. It was simple. The crisis would be averted any moment. Yup, aaaannnnyyyy moment…

McGonagall pulled back from the fire place with her face even whiter than before. Dora sucked in a breath and found it difficult to get enough air. "Kreacher states that Sirius is not there. I do not trust the elf though so I need to check for myself. Wait here, I will return once I have verified whether your godfather has actually left the building or not."

"We're wasting time!" Harry said scowling with his hand tightening on Dora's. "We need to figure out just where that room is and – "

"Mr. Potter, please," McGonagall said softly laying a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I will be but five minutes. You can try to ascertain the location in the meantime. Just. _Stay. Here._ " Harry gave her a curt nod and Minerva disappeared into the fireplace. The flames died out almost immediately with a soft pop.

"That's not…" Dora's mouth dropped open as she stared at the fireplace. She'd seen that happen before; Grimmauld Place had just been completely sealed off. _But when McGonagall doesn't come back Harry's going to…oh Merlin…oh no…I need to make sure he doesn't realize where Voldemort is leading him to._

"I know I've seen that door before…" Harry muttered. He dropped her hand and screwed his eyes shut. "Why did it look so familiar?"

"Harry, maybe we should find Snape or Hagrid. Both of them can help as well. In case McGonagall takes longer than expected we can have backup ready and…"

"It was the snake. The snake saw that door. Mr. Weasley was on guard duty…"

Dora grabbed his hands and squeezed hard enough to leave marks. "I know that Snape's ignoring you, but Hagrid will be perfectly willing to help and even Snape can't brush off a half-giant!"

"…at the Ministry…"

"Come on! We can be back before she even knows that we're gone!" _Please, please stop…_

"THE DEPARTMENT OF MYSTERIES!" Harry shouted, his eyes sprung wide and he stepped forward to wrap Dora into a hug. "He's at the Department of Mysteries! Professor I – " Harry cut off and stared at the fireplace with its single wisp of smoke curling up from the center of the Floo. Harry's eyes narrowed and his face twisted into a deep scowl. "Floos don't look like that when someone steps through."

Dora managed to pull her hands back from his grip and placed them on each side of his head. She shifted mass just enough to be able to look him eye to eye as she pulled his head back to look at her. "It's sealed, Harry. Please, just wait here for her to get Kreacher to unseal it and we can tell her where you saw in your vision."

Harry's scowl dropped somewhat as his eyes searched hers. "Dora? If the Floo is sealed that's even more proof that something is _wrong_. If the Order can't get out of the house and Dumbledore is gone…we have to go save him ourselves."

 _NO! I will NOT LET this happen AGAIN!_ "Harry, listen to me," Dora said actively using her abilities to force her breathing into a semblance of calm and avoid hyperventilating. That was a new one. Using morphs to force her diaphragm into specific configurations was something she'd have to explore more in the future. "This positively _reeks_ of 'trap'. Your Occlumency is strong. Voldemort would have to actively be trying to get through to break your shields. It's not something that would just leak in."

"I _know_ , Dora!" Harry snarled pulling back. "It doesn't change anything! Just because we know it's a trap doesn't mean I can just ignore it!"

"And what if Sirius isn't even there?! Voldemort knows that you would run after him without thinking! Come on, don't be a Gryffindor right now, think like a Slytherin!" Not again. Not again. This would not happen again. Not again.

"Can you tell me without any doubt that Voldemort _doesn't_ have him?" Harry asked his voice deadly calm.

"I-I-I can't…I don't…Harry please!" she couldn't think of anything to say. Everything was falling down around her and all the clever plans she'd come up with for worst-case scenarios were flying out of her brain.

Harry took a deep breath and pushed Dora back to arms length. "We'll ask Hagrid and then I'm going to save my godfather, Dora. You can come or you can stay. It's your choice."

Harry walked around her and strode to the door to McGonagall's office. Tears streaming down her cheeks Dora stayed frozen until the sound of the door slamming into the wall shattered what very little remained of her calm. Twisting on her heel Dora ran after Harry not even noticing that her hair had morphed to a mousy brown and her legs had lengthened slightly.

* * *

Dora caught up with Harry as he exited the castle doors at a run. "Harry, wait!" she shouted. He glanced back over his shoulder and slowed just enough for Dora to catch up as he ran towards Hagrid's hut. They reached the hut at almost the same time and Harry starting banging on the door to the hut. A frantic scrambling at the door and a quiet _woof_ gave evidence to Fang's occupancy at the very least.

"Hagrid?! Hagrid open up! Please! We need your help!" Harry yelled.

 _Answer the door, answer the door, answer the door!_ Dora's thoughts kept looping back to death and disaster and every time she tried to come up with a way of getting Harry to abandon this as pointless she ran into a brick wall.

"Dammit! He's not here!" Harry turned from the hut and Fang's whines to fix Dora with a firm stare. "Dora, I'm going to rescue him."

"Harry, please…I have to…I have tell you something," she got out, blinking rapidly to get the sheen off of her eyes. Her hands trembled and she clenched them into fists hard enough that her nails bit into her palms. "I've-I've lived through this before. It…it didn't end well. Please, don't go…"

Harry frowned and he opened his mouth to say something before shaking his head and sighing. "Look I get that bad things happened when you left the Coven, Dora, but I can't just leave him. He's my godfather. He doesn't have anyone else…"

The damn Dora had been desperately holding back cracked further. She wasn't being clear enough and she couldn't get her thoughts together enough to _make_ him understand. "That's not what I meant! I mean that I've experienced _this_! You can't go to the Department of Mysteries!"

"Dora, I don't have time to figure out what you're talking about! Sirius is being tortured _right now_!"

"You're not listening to me, Harry! I know what happens if you go to the Ministry! Almost everyone dies!"

Harry scowled and ripped his hands back from her grip. "Why do you think I'm not calling for the DA? Every time I go up against Voldemort it gets worse. Now he has followers. I know this is probably a suicide mission. I still have to go, Dora." Harry stayed silent for a long moment before gazing out at the castle gates and saying softly, "Can you tell me – without the shadow of a doubt – that Sirius Black is safe and sound at home and _not_ being tortured in the Department of Mysteries?"

This wasn't going to work. Even if she could sit him down long enough to explain clearly that she was from the future in the state he was in…it just wouldn't matter to him. He'd go after Sirius anyway because that was the kind of person he was. Dora would have to stun him in order to get him to stay in the castle and then she'd be lucky to have his hate restricted to the same level as what he felt for Snape.

And the worst part was…he was _right_. She _couldn't_ say _absolutely_ that Sirius was safe. Subtle things had changed due to her meddling; nothing truly major yet beyond ousting Umbridge and Fudge, but…well that wasn't to say that she hadn't affected other things with the dominoes. Minerva had never gone to Grimmauld, Grimmauld had never been _sealed_. Hagrid hadn't been missing, Tonks hadn't been on the lookout for anything weird…What if something she had done had inadvertently led to Sirius _actually_ being captured this time? She still didn't know exactly what Voldemort even _wanted_ in the Department of Mysteries!

"I-I can't…I…"

"Dora," Harry took her hands and leaned in to place a fleeting, gentle kiss on her lips. "I have to go save my godfather. I'll take a thestral. Hagrid said that they're supposed to be faster than brooms for long distances and I don't even know how to fly to the Ministry by myself anyway. Stay here okay, if McGonagall gets back let her know where – "

" _NO!_ " Dora spat. She shook her head hard enough for her hair to flip into her normal, blue eyes and she scowled. "Screw that shite! I'm going with you! You need someone to watch your back and you are not leaving me here to pick up the pieces!" She could watch him. Just him. She was a trained Auror and a powerful fighter. She knew offensive and defensive tactics and styles both in the magical world and the Muggle world. She had no chance of protecting a group of six students…but a single partner who was also decently skilled…

If she couldn't stop him from going then she could at least make certain that he survived the trip this time.

"Dora, that's not a good idea. You should stay here and – "

" _I. Am. Going. With. You. Harry Potter!_ "

Harry met her eyes for several interminable moments before nodding and clenching her hand. "Okay, let's go grab a thestral and we can go."

"Screw that shite, we're taking the Floo," Dora said scowling. If they were doing this thing then they were doing it properly. It was still only 4 pm. There should still be some people at the Ministry. If they got there fast enough she could send someone to grab the Aurors to provide backup. They might even get lucky and have some of the Unspeakables still working. _You know that's not going to happen. Voldemort wouldn't have triggered his trap if he wasn't ready and the place wasn't deserted._ Dora growled low as she quieted the traitorous part of her mind.

"The Floo was sealed though. Dumbledore and McGonagall are the only ones who can get through the castle Floos aren't they?" Harry said.

"Then we take the one in the Three Broomsticks," Dora replied.

Harry's eyes lit up and he smiled. "Yes! Great idea, Dora! Let's go!"

"Just – _where_ – are you – two – _going_?!" a frustrated shout rang out through frantic gasps for air. Dora and Harry both turned to see Hermione pulling up behind them bent over double with her hands on her knees. "You – two _idiots_ – have better have – a good reason – for this!"

Harry stared at his friend in confusion powerful enough to break the frantic mold his mind had fallen into over the past few minutes. "Hermione? Weren't you taking a test?"

"Saw – you both – through the window. Told – Professor Babbling and the examiner – I had to go." Hermione finally seemed to catch her breath and stood up straight, her face still flushed. "That's a lot of stairs. Well, out with it, what's going on and who are we fighting against _this time_?"

"Err…" Harry looked between Hermione, the castle, Dora and the gates before sighing. "Voldemort sent me a vision of torturing Sirius while in the Department of Mysteries. We went to Professor McGonagall for help and she got sealed into Headquarters by Kreacher. Hagrid's not here. Snape would either ignore us or knock us out to make sure that Sirius dies."

Hermione's eyes narrowed and she looked back and forth between Harry and Dora. Dora swallowed hard and couldn't help but notice how Hermione's eyes locked for a moment on her hair. "You realize this is almost definitely a trap?"

"Yes."

"And you're going anyway," Hermione stated. She scowled and turned back to Dora. "You haven't been able to talk him out of it."

Dora's hands started trembling again and she shook her head. "I can't. I've tried. I've tried to tell him this goes really bad, but…he's right. We can't be _sure_ that Sirius _isn't_ there…"

Hermione's scowl deepened. "You're right unfortunately. With Headquarters being sealed there is a chance that Voldemort really does have Sirius. Very well, how are we getting to the Ministry?"

Dora's mind froze. _Not again. I can't protect them both at the same time. I'm good, but I'm not that good!_

"…Three Broomsticks. We have to leave now." Dora finally tuned back into the conversation as Harry finished up and started moving towards the castle gates. Dora felt the sheen back over her eyes. Everything was falling apart.

"Wait!" she shouted. Both teens turned to look at her and Dora hurried to cast her patronus. As the ethereal silver lioness shot out of her wand Dora spoke, "Tonks, get your arse to the Department of Mysteries asap. Red Alert. Bring the party." The lioness flew off in a streak of silver and Dora turned back to her friends. " _Now_ we can go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Much thanks to RhysThornbery for his beta assistance on this.
> 
> For those curious, Hagrid is actually busy with assisting on the Care of Magical Creatures exam.
> 
> \/\/\/\/
> 
> Mad-Eye's Rules For Successfully Reaching Retirement:
> 
> Rule Number 6: Maintain focus or die.
> 
> Rule Number 11: Know what to do when it all goes to shite.
> 
> \/\/\/\/
> 
> Fic Recommendation: "The Lion Tamer", "Lion's Pride", and "The Lion's Roar" all by James Spookie. This trilogy is Harry/Daphne and is mostly canon through year 5 though Ron dies in place of Sirius at the Department of Mysteries and the changes leap high afterwards. It's pretty good though there are some spelling errors that do compound and several continuity issues that can get annoying (especially across the gap between novels). All three are complete though and it's a very good trilogy as long as you space out the separate stories!


	10. Take Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Wow, so I didn't quite realize that there would be such vehemence about going back to the Ministry. That's actually been the plan since before I sat down to write this. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Dora's reasons for allowing this are explored a bit more in this chapter and the whole shebang serves to set things up for further down the road with the story/characters as a whole. Is it a stupid move? Yes. Is it something that these characters would do anyway? Yes.

**Chapter 10: Take Two**

The trio had just made it to Hogsmeade when Hermione fell back slightly pulling on Dora's hand to slow her as well. "Dora, this is neither the time nor the place to get fully into this, but I must ask something before I let Harry walk into that pub."

"What?" Dora asked hesitantly.

"Am I correct in assuming you've lived through this already?" Hermione stated. The point blank, no-nonsense, matter-of-fact inquiry nearly made Dora fall on her face. As it was she missed a step and had to do a strange sort of hop to catch her balance again.

"Err…that's not precisely a _wrong_ statement…" Dora mumbled. She kept her eyes glued to Harry's back as he hurried forward and started banging on the door to the Three Broomsticks.

Hermione's sharp intake of breath was evidence enough to the fact that she hadn't wanted to actually believe her own hypothesis. "Well. That…Well. Okay then. How badly did it go the… _first_ time?"

Dora hesitated for a long few seconds before swallowing and replying, "Bad. Really, really, _bad_ …I think you might have died…and I'm pretty sure a few others did too…"

Hermione made a strangled noise and missed a step before seeming to collect herself. "Then _why_ exactly have we not stunned him and tried to sort this out in a different fashion?" She asked the strain in her tone and the way her wand vibrated in her hand directly contradicting the relatively calm delivery.

"I…" Dora shut her eyes and shook her head. "I can't say _for sure_ that he's wrong. Sirius was safe originally, but this time things are different. _Small_ different, but _different_. There were a lot of students on the original raid – at least six – and now it's just the three of us. The Order didn't know he'd gone to the Ministry – for several hours – and now they already know."

"None of that justifies allowing this to happen with no confirmation of immediate backup."

Dora grimaced. "I know. It's the sealing of Headquarters that's stopping me from acting. Kreacher can seal the house without any problems, but Sirius should've been able to order him to unseal it. McGonagall _should've_ been back almost immediately. That she wasn't able to come back to the castle…something's wrong. I can't say that Sirius is _actually_ safe this time. If I stop Harry and Sirius dies because of it…Sirius is one of the few people I have left…" She trailed off and blinked away a light sheen over her eyes as Rosmerta finally opened the door to the pub.

Hermione scowled as she stomped the ground with one foot. "Harry would _never_ forgive either of us for the rest of our lives; and we would never forgive _ourselves_ either. Merlin…Can you get us through this? Can you walk us safely through the trap?"

"I honestly don't know, Hermione," Dora mumbled. "Just Harry and me? Probably…possibly. All three of us? I don't know if I can watch us all at once. I don't know the full details of the trap either. I don't even know what Voldemort wants…I'm…I don't know if I can do this…"

Rosmerta scowled, but stepped to the side and Harry nodded and walked past waving the two of them to follow. Beside her Hermione's fingers tightened around her wand. "Well woman up, Dora, because you're going to have to. Harry and I can handle ourselves, but if this went as badly as you're implying we're going to need you to push us in the right direction when the fighting gets started." She began walking after Harry and cast a glance over her shoulder. "You love him. I…well I love him too, despite my efforts to move on. Against my better judgment I have grown to care deeply about you as well. I fully intend to see all three of us walking out of that building with Sirius between us. Let's make that fantasy happen shall we? There will be time to berate you over truthfulness and full-disclosure later. For now, we have a rescue to attempt and a trap to avoid."

* * *

The Ministry was empty. Totally and completely empty. This wasn't just a distinct lack of night security and budget cuts, this was malicious maneuvering.

"It's still somewhat early isn't it?" Harry said as they walked out of the Floo reception area and across the deserted Atrium. "Shouldn't there at least be a guard or something?"

"There should be. Malfoy probably managed to whisper in a few ears and get everyone reassigned or declared it a temporary holiday or something," Dora said with a scowl. There went Plan A. No more immediate Auror backup now. He'd probably gotten rid of the night Auror too. She glared at the ceiling and muttered, "Or they slaughtered everyone while moving down to bait their trap."

Hermione frowned. "Such a cheery thought there, Dora. Shouldn't we at least go up to the Auror office and find the night guard?"

"Not enough time. We already took too long getting here as it is," Harry said sweeping past her and rushing to the lift.

Dora sighed and followed after Harry. "Considering how dead quiet it is, Hermione, I'm worried that whoever is up in the Auror office will be in on the Death Eater's plot. They wouldn't have been able to set this whole thing up without inside help."

"It still seems foolish not to try…"

"We're here _way_ early, Hermione," Dora commented softly as Harry started hitting the slow moving lift's button over and over trying to speed up the arrival of the contraption. "The Ministry doesn't shut down this early. The Death Eaters have already cut off all potential avenues for help we could try; no one friendly is going to be waiting for us up there. Even if by some miracle they were…only Shacklebolt, Hestia or Tonks would even entertain listening to us about a friend being kidnapped and held in the Department of Mysteries as bait. How crazy does that sound to you?"

Hermione shuffled her feet and sighed. "Well when you put it like that it does sound rather like foolish children crying wolf…"

Dora nodded. "These bastards are a _lot_ more prepared than we had originally suspected. I underestimated them and I didn't take enough precautions and all three of us are going to be paying the price."

"This is _not_ your fault, Dora," Hermione said reaching out to squeeze the metamorph's arm. Dora gave a sad smile back; it didn't quite reach her eyes.

A ding heralded the arrival of the lift and as the door's opened Harry finally stopped mashing the button. "It's here. Let's go." Harry walked onto the open platform and stared anxiously at the two girls. Hermione sighed and followed him on with Dora hesitating another brief moment before joining them.

As the doors clattered shut Dora turned to her friends and took a deep breath. "Okay look you two this is where things get dangerous. They'll _probably_ wait for us to get to wherever Voldemort was baiting you, Harry. That's what smart people would do at least so of course we should be expecting an attack the entire time. Either way when they spring the trap don't bother with stunners, go for stronger spells. Things that will keep someone out of a fight; spells like bludgeoners, cutting, slashing, fire whips, water and lightning combos, etc. Anything that'll hit hard and fast and leave lasting wounds. We're going to be outnumbered and we need to even the odds as much as we can."

Hermione nodded. "The one thing we have going for us is that Voldemort has a personal vendetta against Harry so the Death Eaters likely won't try to cast the Killing Curse near us if we stick close together. They'll want to save you for their master and won't risk shooting that when you're right there."

Harry shook his head. "Don't rely on that, Hermione. These monsters aren't the type to think things through."

Dora reached out and took Hermione's arm in her hand squeezing just hard enough to make sure the brunette paid full attention to her. "And just because they may not be tossing AKs at us doesn't mean we can't die from other things. A deep slashing curse to the chest will kill someone just as easily as the Unforgiveable." Hermione paled and her eyes widened before she gave a slight nod. Dora breathed out a soft sigh and let go, knowing her message got across.

"If they threaten Sirius to get us to comply…" Harry started.

Dora shook her head. "Leave Sirius to me. If he's actually here I can tag his guards and grab him as we run."

Hermione nodded. "They'll probably want to monologue for a bit too so that will give us a moment to take stock of the situation or perhaps stall."

"Really?" Dora asked.

Harry sighed and shrugged. "Every time I've encounter Voldemort and his Death Eaters they love to gloat any time they think they've got the upper hand. It's pretty standard for us at this point."

"Oh. Well, that makes things a smidge easier I guess," Dora murmured thinking on that a bit. The time for planning came to an end as the lift finally alighted on the bottom floor and the doors clattered open again.

Dora took a half second to center herself, raised her wand and strode forward leading the way down the hall.

_Rule 20: A confident Auror intimidates worried criminals._

* * *

"This place is even weirder than I imagined," Dora murmured as the trio walked past a replica of Jupiter floating in the middle of a black room. The other planets hovered at varying points around the space with the overall effect leaving her feeling remarkably like an underdressed titanic astronaut. It was _almost_ enough to shift her growing fear to wonder. _Almost_.

"Harry, do you have actually have an idea where you're leading us or are we just wandering hoping to get lucky?" Hermione asked unable to tear her gaze from the Great Red Spot until a rectangle of light fell on the planet from the door Harry pulled open nearby.

"Bit of both I think, Hermione. We can play tourist later, come on. I think it was somewhere past this coliseum thing. Why do they even have this thing down here? It's just a weird, creepy arch? Who needs an auditorium to watch a weird creepy arch?" Harry said glaring into the next room.

All of Dora's fleeting feelings of awe induced by the sights in some of the rooms they had walked through vanished in an instant. She blinked rapidly as her foot paused in mid step; though her upper body kept moving forward through sheer momentum. Luckily Hermione was close enough to grab her shoulder before Dora could actually topple over.

"Dora?" Hermione whispered casting a wide-eyed glance between the metamorph and the open door.

Dora shook her head, uncaring that her hair had lengthened from her pixie-cut into her default's neck length tresses. "Bad room. _Very bad_ room."

"Right." Hermione straightened up, pulled on Dora's arm to get her moving and marched straight after Harry. They shut the door to the Space section just in time to watch Harry cock his head at the Arch and clamber onto the dais.

" _Shite_!" Dora cursed. She scowled and ran through a litany of curses as she jumped down to the center of the room. "Time to go, Harry! _Stay away_ from the Veil."

"But they're calling to me…Can't you hear them, Dora?" Harry asked. His voice sounded far away and his eyes were locked onto the rippling curtain hanging in the air from the cursed piece of rune inscribed rock.

The worst thing was…she _could_ hear them. The first time she'd been through this room her head had hurt whenever she'd cast her eyes towards the Veil, but now she did hear whispers. Faint murmurs on the edge of consciousness. Just enough of a sound to know that someone was there. That someone was trying to talk to you. That someone was begging to be heard. That someone was begging you to come just a tiny bit closer. That someone _needed_ you to grab ahold of them and yank them into – " _Time. To. GO!_ " Dora straight up growled as she ripped her eyes away from the Veil of Death, snatched Harry's hand with her own and practically threw him from the dais into Hermione standing near the edge of the final row of benches.

The brunette proved she might have been a decent Quidditch player in another life as she managed to catch hold of the airborne boy with both arms and a slightly gaping mouth. She quickly turned to look down at Harry and sighed as she let him climb back to his feet. "Sorry about that, Harry."

"Sorry for what?" Harry murmured. He made to look towards the Veil again before seeming to catch himself and scowl, abruptly shifting his gaze to the ground. "Bloody hell. That thing is dangerous."

"It's the Veil of Death," Dora stated. She hopped down stepped in front of both teens grabbing their arms and dragging them back up towards the door further down the wall of the room. "It's not supposed to be evil, but anything that leads straight to afterlife can't be _good_ either! At least not for those without a death wish."

"Says the woman dragging me towards an acknowledged Death Eater trap," Harry said trying to smile at the awful joke. It didn't reach his eyes and neither of the girls laughed. "You know you seem a bit taller, Dora…"

Dora grunted in acknowledgment. Her morph was the least of her worries. She could deal with _that_ shite later. Especially since this room was the so-called 'Thought' room. Dora glared at the cognivores in their awful little aquariums with their disturbing tendrils of thought and memory fanning out towards the trio. "Stay away from the brains. They eat intelligence and reasoning. The effects diminish, but it takes a long time."

Hermione's jaw dropped open and she gasped. Her eyes turned to the floating brains with a mixture of horror and rage and the way her wand started vibrating and lighting up at the tip Dora briefly worried that Hermione was about set the entire room ablaze to wipe the affront against learning from the map.

"Hermione," Harry said softly laying a hand on the brunette's shoulder and carefully guiding her across the room. "Please don't destroy any of the Unspeakables' fancy toys. They might bill us. Or lock us up. Or both. At least later on, we can blame any destruction on the Death Eaters that are probably going to be chasing us. When the fighting starts you can kill evil brain eating brains, but not before."

"Brain eating brains?" Dora muttered raising an eyebrow at her boyfriend. The answering shrug did a lot to help her breathing calm back down into a somewhat normal level from the near hyperventilation she had been running on since seeing him open that door to the Arch. Shutting her eyes to recenter herself, Dora twisted and grabbed the handle to the next door. As she pulled it open her stomach dropped back out from under her. "I think we found your room of glowing orbs, Harry."

Prophecies. They _were_ chasing a prophecy. _Of course_ they were chasing a _prophecy_. Everyone knew that Unspeakables had a record of every prophecy that was made. Everyone knew that every prophecy was protected. Only Unspeakables could remove and listen to one.

Only Unspeakables and those present for the delivery of said prophecy…or those it _referred_ to.

"That arrogant, secret-loving, overprotective _bastard fool_!" Dora cursed. Harry and Hermione shot her a confused glance as each walked past her. Dora didn't care one iota. She'd had vague suspicions the first time through, but now she _knew_. Dumbledore knew they'd been guarding a _Merlin-be-damned prophecy_! For a _YEAR_! A _PROPHECY!_ Possibly the most useless piece of shite in this entire building _including_ Fudge!

Prophecies were utterly pointless until after whatever they spoke of took place. At best, they made perfect sense in hindsight. At worst idiots and fools fell all over each other trying to force one outcome or the other just to realize that it had never even been about the conflict they were reaching towards to begin with. And to make matters even more _stupid_ this one had to be about Harry at minimum – and probably Voldemort as well judging by the lengths the psycho had gone to to get Harry here and steal it for him.

Meaning that a simple trip through the DOM during the normal working day with a few Auror or Order guards and Voldemort's entire plot would've been foiled in _15 fucking minutes_! Dora gnashed her teeth and stomped after her friends who were busy scanning the aisles. After she finished slaughtering Death Eaters she was going to rip Dumbledore's beard off and wring his neck with it. The man probably thought he was being clever, but he was playing a 1940s war still, _not_ a 1990s war. He was playing with 2D battleships when he should be playing with 3D submarines.

Dumbledore's leadership was going to get them all killed. Technically it already had, and only a strange twist of fate had given them another shot. One which would likely never happen again…hopefully at least…

"Dora? Hermione? I…I think this is the right row," Harry took a deep breath and stood up straighter, his hand tightening on his wand. "I don't see Sirius. Do you think the ball…orb…thing…will take us to him? The one in my vision was about halfway down this aisle I think."

"Well…I suppose it's _possible_ ," Hermione conceded reluctantly as she followed him down. Dora noted with pride the neither were actually looking at the orbs but instead running their eyes up and down the length of the 'empty' aisle.

Dora scowled as she caught a pattern shift ever so slightly a few dozen feet away. _They're here alright. Bastards are disillusioned and likely invisibility cloaked. Now to see if they managed to get my cousin this time or if I let the people I love waltz right into this stupid trap again for_ NOTHING _!_ "They're prophecies, Harry. Don't pick up one without your name on it. The protections here are rumored to have even Gringotts impressed."

"My name? Like this one?" Harry asked softly as he came to a stop and stared at a glowing orb just in front of him.

Dora stepped closer and cursed under breath. "S.P.T to A.P.W.B.D and S.T.S; Dark Lord; and (?) Harry Potter."

"Are we certain about this?" Hermione asked. Her eyes flitted to a shadow behind Dora and Dora narrowed her own gaze in return. They didn't have much choice now.

Dora tightened her hand on her wand. "Harry? Just remember, the important thing is to always keep – "

"Constant vigilance," Harry finished. His hand shot out and grabbed the sphere almost faster than the eye could see. As one the three teens turned toward the lone Death Eaters each had picked out and shot off curses, falling back to back in a triangle configuration covering each other. Shouts of pain rang through the Prophecy Room and all of the remaining followers of the Dark Lord dropped their camouflage.

"Well done, children, well done indeed!" Bellatrix Lestrange said. Her grin was wide enough to swallow a small watermelon and with the way the fire danced in her eyes Dora realized her insane aunt wasn't even mocking in her approval. Dora's blood chilled as she took stock of their situation. Eleven of the twelve original timeline's Death Eaters were here. She dimly recalled Travers having been killed trying to escape Azkaban so that helped somewhat if not much. Three teenagers against 11 hardened killers weren't good odds.

Even if one of those killers looked to have lost the use of his leg from a bludgeoning curse impact on the hip, another was desperately trying to stem the fountain of blood spurting from the brachial artery and a third was barely breathing with his chest seemingly caved in. Three shots and two possible kills. Not bad for schoolchildren.

And yet this entire 'rescue' mission was already tits up since Sirius Black was nowhere to be seen.

"Now, hand over the prophecy, Harry, and I promise not to play with your little girlfriends before killing them," Bellatrix said holding out one hand.

Harry snorted and shifted positions enough to level his wand at the woman. "That's your best offer? That's not much of an incentive, Bellatrix."

"It's the best you'll get, Harry. I might have been convinced to let them walk away, but with killing poor, _stupid_ Rabastan and Goyle…that I just can't ignore." Dora couldn't help the slight upturn of her lips as she saw the prone Death Eater's chest finally stop moving. She hazarded a guess at that one being Goyle since he was farther from Bellatrix. Rabastan would be the one who had just fallen unconscious in the pool of spreading blood then. Bellatrix must really dislike her brother-in-law; it technically should've been possible to save him had any of the Death Eaters actually bothered to help seal the wound. "It's a shame neither are pure. We could have used a good replacement for either one, but these gentlemen simply would not allow for it. Neither would I, I suppose though with them being women I might be able to overlook it assuming they'd be willing to properly service their betters." Bellatrix paused to look at Hermione and Dora. Dora honestly considered the viability of researching deadly eye beams. That would be a useful ability to have for a response to that type of proposal. "No? Very well. Back to Plan A then! Now, hand it over, Harry."

Harry started idly tapping a finger on the prophecy as he held it over the hard stone floor, the threat explicit. "Where's Sirius?"

A hollow voice laughed off to the Dora's side. She tore her gaze from her aunt and gnashed her teeth at the masked figure of Lucius Malfoy. "The Blood Traitor paid for his betrayal of tradition and purity. We ensured _that_. He's dead and buried! You are a fool for thinking we would bring him here just to showcase your utter failure, Potter!"

"You killed him already," Harry stated. His voice was suddenly flat and completely emotionless. All traces of forced levity and nervous energy had vanished from him.

Something in Lucius' statement didn't sound right though. It didn't fit…the pieces were mismatched. Dora opened her mouth to try and taunt the man into revealing more, but Hermione beat her to it. "That's not what he said Harry. Malfoy only _hopes_ he's dead." Hermione smiled at Malfoy and inclined her head. "You have been attempting to toy with us too long, Malfoy – we're starting to learn your mannerisms and inclinations. You and your ilk would have definitely thought it fitting to bring Sirius' body here just to try and break Harry. That you haven't almost certainly means that you never killed him. Though judging by your words and tone I would say you likely did at least _encounter_ him. He got away from you didn't he? And now you're just trying to bait us into doing something foolish. It's not going to work."

Dora's eyes widened as she skimmed through what Hermione had said. _That_ sounded far more likely. Sirius could've been leaving the house for a few minutes like an idiot, gotten into a short skirmish, tagged by something, knocked out, and left to recover in Grimmauld. That's why Kreacher had free reign with the wards. The Order would've had to wake the man from a potion induced haze to counter it!

None of that helped their situation _now_ though…

"Foolish little witch, far too smart for your own good, dear," Bellatrix crooned. She twitched her wand towards Hermione and the tip glowed orange for a brief instant before dying back down as Harry tapped the prophecy sphere again. "You should know better than to flaunt your intellect mudblood. It might behoove those of us pure to remind you of just _why_ we are _superior_ in _every_ way."

"Really?" Dora openly laughed and grinned at Bellatrix. She had to get her friends out and the only way to do that was to change the status quo. A Mexican Standoff wouldn't work out well for them for much longer. "Why don't you go ask good old Tom what his father did for a living, Bellatrix? Or you could always ask Wormtail to regale you with the tale. Harry, you said the rat was there with you when Voldemort started waxing poetically about how his poor Muggle father ran away from his near Squib mother and – "

" _LIAR!_ " Bellatrix shouted. One thing that Dora knew about her aunt with absolute certainty: Bellatrix Lestrange could always be counted on to go insane and lose her grip on reality if pushed too hard in just the right place. This was a textbook example.

An orange curse flew from Bellatrix's wand and arced towards Dora. It struck the block of rock that Dora had started conjuring even as she finished taunting her aunt. The ricochet launched into the prophecy shelves beside Dora shattering several and flinging wooden splinters and pieces of glass everywhere.

It was like a signal for all hell to break loose.

Spells started flying widely from every Death Eater around them while Harry and Hermione launched overpowered explosion hexes into the base of the shelves. Dora's hasty shield deflected the majority of the Death Eater's volley while the wood around them blew up with a screeching concussion. A mighty groan and crash saw both sides of the aisle begin to topple inwards onto the group of fighters.

"Run!" Dora shouted. Neither of her friends needed further prompting and all three of them took off through the falling prophecy spheres and collapsing shelves. One Death Eater moved to block their path, but he was too busy using his wand to bat aside a falling piece of wood to avoid or block the cutting curse that Dora sent his way. It severed his wand hand and carried on to slice his face. A cry of agony rang out and Dora caught a brief glimpse of Macnair clutching at his eyes before he dropped to the ground and they were past him.

A green flash of light shot ahead of them and caused a renewed volley of exploding prophecies. Behind her Dora heard Malfoy frantically shout, "No, you fools! The Master wants Potter alive! What do you think will happen to us should we destroy the prophecy! Capture him, _don't kill him_!"

_Rule Number 80: If your enemy is trying to kill you, the smart thing is to abandon your bloody mission and try to kill them right back._

Dora smiled to herself as the trio burst through into the cognivores' lair and slammed the door behind them. _Maybe I just might be able to get us out of this after all._

They were halfway to the next door before that thought proved a tad premature. The wooden barrier leading into the Thought Room exploded outward showering the trio with splinters and leaving Dora bleeding from several small scratches. Spells flew through the hole barely deflected by Harry's hasty shield. "Hermione get the door open!" Harry shouted as he maintained the shield and Dora turned to shoot cutting curses and exploding hexes back towards the four Death Eaters jumping through the breach.

The Death Eaters in front jumped to the sides as more of their number tried to enter the room. Dora narrowed her eyes at Crabbe Sr. The idiot had wandered _far_ too close to the cognivores. Letting her mouth set into a thin line, Dora snatched three of the brains with a levitation spell and threw them into the man. All movement on both sides seemed to stop at the strange sight of flying brains smacking into a human male. Crabbe let out an unholy scream of pain and terror as the brains' tentacles wrapped around his head, neck, arms and waist. One forced its way into his open mouth and cut off his screams as two others threaded into his nose. Dora had a brief glimpse of the Death Eater's eyes rolling up into his head before he started convulsing and collapsed to the side.

Abruptly the novelty of the scene wore off and spells started flying again. Hermione wrenched the door behind them open and shot a series of spells into the cognivores' tank while Harry and Dora lunged through the opening. More shouts came from behind them as Hermione kicked the entrance closed and shot a door sealing spell at it leaving the Death Eaters with the hunting brains. "Remind me to never work in this Department, please," Hermione commented looking slightly green as the trio ran down a narrow corridor.

"You and me both," Harry muttered.

The room they were running through was a new one for Dora. It was longer and narrower and both sides of the wall were lined with glass and bars. Each section had all manner of strange and exotic creatures locked away behind various cages or enclosures. "That's a nundu…what the bloody _hell_ are they thinking keeping a _nundu_ down here?" Dora muttered hurrying past one particular enclosure set back into the wall. Another enclosure right next to it had a sign on the glass stating to all and sundry to 'Beware, Hungry Lethifold. Do Not Cuddle The Lethifold.'

"They're here!" a shout rang out from behind. " _Bombarda_!" Dora ducked and watched with wide eyes as the lethifold's glass exploded beside her along with several other smaller cages nearby.

"Time to find a room!" Dora shouted. Her friends didn't bother to reply though Hermione shot her an annoyed glance as they picked up speed and turned a corner. As Dora rounded the bend another spell shot over her shoulder and destroyed the cages right next to her. A terrified animal screech sounded and Dora felt a dull impact between her shoulder blades. She twisted and shot a spell over her shoulder at the attacker before diving through the door that Harry was holding open for her. As soon as she was through they slammed it shut, sealed it and started running again.

Dora grimaced realizing that they were back inside the Death Room. Surging forward she jumped into the lead and hurried to get her friends out of this nightmare inducing arena. They were about to reach for the next door when it opened of its own accord and spit forth Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange. Dora skidded to a stop and raised her wand. She wasn't quite as quick as Harry who actually managed to shoot a stream of boiling water towards Rodolphus' face before the Death Eaters raised a shield. The damage had been done though and Bellatrix's husband dropped to the side whimpering with his hands clutched to his face.

Dora muttered a curse as behind them the door to the Evil Creatures Room shot open again and emitted Dolohov, Rookwood and Nott. The teens were trapped between the two groups of Death Eaters.

"Impressive, Harry. I must say you are doing quite well for yourself," Bellatrix said grinning and idly shooting an exploding curse towards the trio's feet. Dora shifted her shield to cover them as Harry and Hermione started edging down the atrium's benches. Dora could hear the quiet whispering of the Veil at the edge of her thoughts, but she pushed it down. She couldn't afford to lose it. Not here. Not now. Not when things were so precarious. Not in _this_ room…

"Hand over the prophecy, Potter," Malfoy stated extending his arm. "We are done asking."

"And yet that's exactly what you're doing, Malfoy," Harry replied. His voice was edged with steel and his green eyes practically blazed. Under other circumstances the power he was radiating would've gotten her hot and bothered but here…here it mostly just helped to buoy her quickly diminishing supply of hope. "I still have the power here." Harry hefted the prophecy and sent a grin towards the Death Eaters. If Dora hadn't been spending so much time with the teen she would likely have missed the way his neck muscles were bulging and the strain evident in his perfectly straight back. "Draco runs to you crying when he loses. Are you going to run to Voldemort with tears in your eyes? Isn't that how the Malfoy family functions these days?"

"You'll regret the day you chose to cross us, _boy_ ," Malfoy hissed. He had raised his wand with a curse on his lips before Bellatrix reached over and slapped his hand down.

"Now, now, no need to damage the prize," Bellatrix said. "We get to play _after_ , Lucy, not _before_. The Master was quite clear it was _after_." She leered at the teens and Dora felt her heart rate skyrocket.

Dora's feet knocked up against the dais for the Arch and sweat started to bead on her brow. Her eyes flicked frantically around the room. Dolohov and Nott looked beat up; both were bleeding from several large cuts and their masks were gone. Dolohov also seemed to be unable to use his left arm while Nott had a conjured patch over leg. Rookwood on the other hand almost seemed untouched by all of the chaos. His hair was still pristine and his robes were unstained. He was brandishing his wand with nary a care in the world. Lucius had a small limp which he hid well and Rodolphus had fallen to his side, unconscious from Harry's attack. Bellatrix was just as unhurt as Rookwood. Because _of course_ she was…

In short, they were still up shite's creek. While the Death Eater's numbers had diminished slightly – or maybe some had just gotten lost – at _best_ the trip had shifted the odds enough to be paddling with brooms instead of their hands. At best. If _something_ didn't happen soon…

"I grow tired of waiting for you to stop toying with the brats, Bellatrix," Dolohov stated as he leaped over the last two rows and landed directly in front of Hermione, wand raised. "I'm taking that prophecy, Potter, or I'm killing your friend. Do you know how painful it is to die from an organ-rot curse? I'm curious how long the bitch will last before her mind breaks. Your choice, boy. Five, four – "

" _Ulcere Sanguis!_ "

" _Confrigo!_ "

Dora's snarled blood boiling curse lanced out towards Dolohov at the same time as Harry's blasting curse. The spells converged on a shield that Rookwood erected around his fellow Death Eater. It didn't help. Dolohov's eyes had barely an instant to widen in shock as both spells punched through the shield and impacted on his chest. The Death Eater was sent flying and crashed headfirst into the wall of the room slumping to the floor, unmoving.

Hermione for her part had ducked and sent a spell towards the former Unspeakable while he was distracted with his compatriot. Dora didn't know exactly what Hermione let fly, but it was _powerful_. The orange spell lanced into Rookwood and left a fist-sized hole in his chest, spinning the Death Eater around and dropping him right next to Dolohov.

Spells started flying about the room again and Dora dove to cover behind the other side of the dais along with her friends. They were down to three on three, but with Bellatrix on hand those numbers didn't mean much. Her aunt had always been a superb caster and, oddly enough, her insanity had only improved on that skill. The bench behind them exploded as Bellatrix started cackling and Lucius shouted for her to avoid the prophecy.

"Any ideas on how to get out?!" Hermione shouted as she dodged a Killing Curse from Nott and sent an earthquake hex towards Malfoy.

"Kind of running out of plans at the moment!" Dora yelled back as she hastily conjured a rock to absorb an entrails expelling curse. "This place doesn't exactly follow standard departmental layouts!"

Harry leaned over the edge of the dais and sent a gout of flame towards Bellatrix before ducking back down. "I think the door above us is the Space room! Hermione, Dora, I'll cover you, just get up those benches!"

"You are not staying down here all alone with three Death Eaters, Harry Potter!" Hermione yelled back.

"Five actually, girly!" Bellatrix cackled. The door she and Lucius had charged through banged open once more and Dora grit her teeth as Macnair and Mulciber joined the fray. Macnair had a patch over his useless eye and he'd swapped his wand to his still attached hand. Slowly, the executioner started to circle around the upper section of the room as Mulciber ran down halfway and joined with the remaining Death Eaters'.

"You're _not_ getting the prophecy!" Harry shouted.

"I'll pry it from your dead hands if I have to boy!" Lucius yelled back.

Harry pulled out the glowing sphere and shared a glance with the other two girls. Dora nodded back and placed her hand on his shoulder. "We'll deal with what's coming either way, Harry."

Hermione also gave Harry a small reassuring smile. "We've done okay without a prophecy before; we'll do okay without one now." Harry shut his eyes and squeezed the sphere. Grimacing he pulled his hand back and hauled the small record into the floor shattering it into a thousand pieces. A spectral form of a shawled woman rose from the remnants, but any words she spoke were drowned out in the frustrated cry of rage from Bellatrix.

"How _DARE_ you deprive my Master of his rightful due!"

Dora, Hermione and Harry all ducked back down behind the dais as a wave of heat and energy washed just overhead. The power that Bellatrix put into her spell did little to hide how they were being hemmed in on both sides while still pinned down behind the dais. "I'm sorry, guys…I should've…" Dora said softly clutching her wand and desperately searching for a way out of their predicament.

"Not your fault, Dora. It's mine," Harry replied. He scowled as the spellwave subsided. "Let's at least make them work for it."

"Agreed," Hermione nodded.

The trio stood as one and turned their wands onto Lucius. Before any could shout their spells though, the door above them burst open. Avery and Jugson flew through and landed hard near Macnair. Following right behind them, the reinforcements finally arrived on-scene.

Moody, Tonks, Remus, Kingsley, McGonagall and Fleur surged into the room firing spells as they went. The benches near Bellatrix and Lucius exploded in a hail of stone while Nott just barely managed to avoid a dark blue curse sent by Kingsley. McGonagall started shouting in Gaelic as she leapt to cross wands with Mulciber. Moody and Remus ran towards Bellatrix and Lucius, the aged Auror moving far faster than most would think possibly considering his peg leg. Tonks and Fleur jumped the benches to land next to the trio and face off against the remaining three Death Eaters.

"Took you long enough," Dora said the grin blossoming on her face dispelling any potential notion of reprimand.

"Sorry we're late, had to kill Kreacher," Tonks muttered irately as she eyed the bench that Avery had rolled behind.

"Is Sirius all right?" Harry asked. His wand didn't shake and neither did his voice, but his white-knuckled grip gave away his feelings loud and clear.

Fleur nodded. " _Oui_. Ze old dog was hurt while visiting wiz ze Tonkses and zen ze elf knocked him out. Andromeda was taking care of him when we left."

Jugson and Macnair chose that moment to stand and let loose a volley of spells towards the group. Hermione and Fleur blocked the attack with a deft combination of shields and conjured items while the other three retaliated with curses and hexes of their own making the Death Eaters dive back under cover.

"You hide when fighting women and children yet you call yourselves ze Deaz Eaters!" Fleur shouted. "Hypocrites! You are all pazetic cowards!"

"Fleur, maybe we don't antagonize the insane purist asshol – " Tonks abruptly cut off as an enraged Macnair shot over the bench and charged towards them bellowing curse after curse. She hurriedly cast a shield spell to deflect the mundane items while Dora and Harry conjured rocks to intercept the two Killing Curses. Between his aim, blinding rage and skilled defenders not a single spell came close to landing on their targets. The onslaught of curses stopped as quickly as they began and Dora could only blink in surprise as she looked on at a whip made of fire issuing from the palm of Fleur's hand that wrapped around the Death Eater's throat.

Fleur gave her hand a jerk and the former executioner dropped to the floor leaving a satisfied looking Veela glaring down at him. "I do not like zese men. Zey see me and my sister as mere breeding playtoys. Zey deserve worse zan zis."

"Note to self, never piss off Fleur," Dora muttered.

"I could've told you that," Harry commented offhandedly as he kept a careful watch on the bench hiding Jugson and Avery. "I saw what she did to Roger Davies near the end of the Triwizard Tournament."

"Ze boy was a pig," Fleur snorted. "He deserved to look like one."

Hermione held up a hand and glanced between Fleur and the bench. "Not be the voice of reason here, but perhaps we should stop bantering and attempt to leave? They may have more reinforcements of their own arriving and we need to – "

Dora felt icy claws dig into her back and a triumphant cackle echoed around the room. Dora felt her head twist in slow motion as Harry cried out from beside her. " _Remus!_ " Finally her eyes completed realigning and she went numb. Raising her wand seemed to take a decade with how slow she moved and she was forced to simply watch as Remus Lupin – her friend, her coworker, her mentor – was struck by a red spell from Bellatrix while he stood near the edge of the dais with the Arch. Time slowed and Dora's arm finally finished rising. She tried to cast a spell but the tip had barely even started to glow with the congealing magic before Remus fell backwards and vanished through the Veil of Death.

She'd failed.

* * *

Dora was brought back to reality as she heard Hermione shout, "Harry, no! _Stop!_ " Her boyfriend had moved from beside her and surged towards the Veil. Dora could only give an incoherent cry of pain and horror. She rocketed into motion desperate to reach him before he could follow Remus into oblivion.

She was too slow. She wasn't going to make it. She'd frozen too long. He was too far ahead. She'd waited too long to tell him her story and now everything was about to end because she'd screwed up and been arrogant enough to think she could handle it all on her own instead of asking for help and she was acting just like Dumbledore and now Remus was dead and Harry was going to die too for nothing and it was all her fault and –

" _SHE SAID STOP! ACCIO HARRY POTTER!_ " Tonks yelled. Harry's hand brushed the fabric of the Veil before his forward momentum halted and he rocketed backwards towards Tonks. The Auror barely managed to grab ahold of him as both woman and man tumbled to the floor of the room.

Jugson and Avery used the confusion and chose to rejoin the fray. They both stood and started firing spells down into the small group sending Fleur and Hermione scrambling to intercept and retaliate. Before Dora could go to help either side, Harry rolled off of Tonks and whipped his head around. He focused in on Bellatrix who merely cackled. "Have fun here boys and girls! I have places to be and a summons to answer!" She shot a final spell towards Moody knocking the old man back and turned to run out of one of the upper doors.

Harry roared in rage and pushed off the ground charging after Dora's insane aunt. Behind him Tonks groaned and rolled over as she tried to stand. Hermione attempted to disengage from the battle with the Death Eaters but was forced to stand her ground and continue her fight as a stray spell reached out towards Fleur. McGonagall barely even seemed to realize that there was anyone else in the room as she continued her heated duel with Mulciber. Moody was still trying to get his leg back under him and Kingsley was consumed in his own battle with Nott Sr.

History was repeating itself. Everything that had happened before was happening again. Everyone was dying. Harry was losing all control. Bellatrix was getting away. There was nothing she could do. Everything she'd tried to accomplish was being blown away in the hurricane of fate and there was absolutely nothing that she could do to stop it. You couldn't fight fate. Having a natural disaster on your side was all well and good until it decided that it was bored and whipped you into its death spiral as well.

The cold claws cut into her again and Dora scowled. "No," she whispered. Jumping forward she surged after Harry. She'd long since stopped sparing any thought to controlling her morph and focused all her being on speed. If she could get to him fast enough…If she could reach him before he cast that curse…If she could just change _one more thing_ …

Rocketing through the door in the arena Dora crashed into the Time Room, mousy brown hair flying in a banner behind her head. She was just in time to watch Harry level his wand at Bellatrix's back. Dora felt her breath hitch and she started to cry out.

" _Confrigo_!" Harry screamed. Dora's shout died in her throat as she watched Harry's spell fly towards Bellatrix. She'd…she'd made a difference. Even if they all died here…she'd made a difference to him…Maybe that was enough to make it all mean something.

" _Clipeum_!" Bellatrix shouted twirling on her heel and lashing out with her wand. Her wand tip lit up and almost seemed to catch Harry's spell before directing it off into the bank of Time Turners and grandfather clocks. The entire series of contraptions exploded with an ear shattering bang from the strength of Harry's spell. "Not bad, Harry. Not bad at all! It's a shame that you can't be convinced to join us. I sadly can't stay, but I'll give my Master your best. See you in Hell!"

Dora's world slowed to a crawl. It was almost like she saw double. She saw Bellatrix start to raise the wand again. She saw the black lightning curse start to form. She saw Harry in its path. One timeline lay on top of the other as her feet carried her forward without conscious thought. "Harry! Move!" She saw his head whip to the side and his eyes widen as he realized he wasn't alone with Bellatrix. She saw the lightning leap from her aunt's wand and start to arc across the distance between them. She saw herself push Harry out of the way and though she tried to avoid it her foot still slipped on the exact same tile as before. She could only shut her eyes in consignment to her fate.

You can't fight against a hurricane.

* * *

Dora's world rocked back into full speed as a fleshy body barreled into her knocking all of the wind out of her chest. Her eyes flew open and her mouth opened in a brief shout of pain as Bellatrix's black Chest Crushing Curse flew over her shoulder close enough to leave an energy burn. The curse crashed into the – apparently rebuilt – giant grandfather clock in the corner causing it groan and roar with cascading sands for an instant before folding in on itself and seemingly vanishing from existence. Dora herself crashed to the ground as a mane of bushy brown hair flew into her face and a weight settled onto her arm while Bellatrix's cackle fled into the distance.

"Hermione?" Dora gasped blinking in confusion.

Grunting, the other girl picked herself up and reached down to help haul Dora to her feet as well. "You really need to watch where you are going, Dora. Harry, are you alright?"

Harry could only nod as he stared between Dora and the vanished grandfather clock. "I…I…yes. Yes, I'm fine."

"Good. Well, what are waiting for? We've followed her this far, let's stop the evil bloody bitch before she can get away!"

Dora and Harry's mouths dropped open as they stared blankly at Hermione. "Hermione…" Harry murmured. "You never curse…"

Hermione turned to Harry and glared. "That woman just murdered my best professor and _then_ tried to slaughter the two people I care about most in this world outside of my parents! I can call her whatever I damn well _like_ thank you very much! Now are going to stop the Death Eater or are we going to sit here arguing about my manners?!"

Shaking his head, Harry clambered to his feet and turned towards the door. "She ran this way. Come on. I…I'm sorry I wasn't thinking when I ran ahead like that. I just…"

"Later, Harry. Hermione's right. We don't have time," Dora said. She squeezed his shoulder and started to run down the indicated hallway.

Harry was alive. She was alive. Hermione was alive. Sirius was alive. Remus was…Remus had paid the price for her arrogance and she'd have to live with that for the rest of her life. But…

Maybe you _could_ fight a hurricane after all…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Much thanks to RhysThornbery for his beta assistance on this.
> 
> I did consider having Sirius actually captured, but it ended up feeling too much like drama for drama's sake instead of serving a legit purpose. I aim to have my stories make sense (even if just to the character making the decision) and that option just didn't feel real when I tried to write it up. So we have this one instead.
> 
> Anyone who hates cliffhangers needs to thank RhysThornberry. I wanted to cut this chapter off on the massive one prior to the last scene and he convinced me that would be mean…
> 
> What did Fleur do to Roger? He acted like a pig so she literally transfigured him into a delightfully rotund pot-bellied pig for a few hours.
> 
> There were a few Easter Eggs in this chapter for the eagle-eyed reader. All will be revealed in time if you missed them.
> 
> \/\/\/\/
> 
> Mad-Eye's Rules For Successfully Reaching Retirement:
> 
> Rule Number 20: A confident Auror intimidates worried criminals.
> 
> Rule Number 80: If your enemy is trying to kill you, the smart thing is to abandon your bloody mission and try to kill them right back.
> 
> \/\/\/\/
> 
> Fic Recommendation: "Shrouded Veil" by pi R round. This fic is somewhat near the end of the beginning, but has a very promising start. It's a crossover with Sekirei and is somewhat unique to those crossovers: this is set in the HP verse exclusively with only one character from the Sekirei world making the leap. It's currently a Harry/Uzume/Tonks/almost definitely Fleur pairing though what the plans are for down the road I have no idea. The basic plot is that after Uzume is terminated she crosses over through the Veil and ends up being winged by Harry. This causes all sorts of problems. Saying too much more would be spoiling things. Anyway, this fic is very well written and has a lot of fun using concepts from both universes in new and intriguing ways that only manage to compliment the original instead of feeling tacked on. A fun read for fans of both verses.


	11. The Problem With Fighting Hurricanes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Yes, I know the Star Trek quote is a bit out of place for the situation, but gosh darn it the original line was so freaking close to the quote I just had to change it to be exact.

**Chapter 11: The Problem With Fighting Hurricanes**

The lift doors opened on the Atrium just in time for them to see Bellatrix crossing it near the central fountain. She wasn't even bothering to hurry, barely managing a brisk walk. It was almost as if she _wanted_ the trio to catch up with her.

Well far be it from Dora to disappoint family. " _Os confractus_!" Dora yelled sending a bone-breaker spell towards her aunt. Beside her Harry and Hermione also shout their own spells at the back of the Death Eater. Bellatrix managed to prove her skill yet again by executing a neat little pirouette and batting aside Dora's spell while blocking Hermione's and sidestepping Harry's.

"Awww, I missed with the Chest Crusher?" Bellatrix whined. "Well I suppose now I get to try again face-to-face!"

"I thought your master wanted us alive, Bellatrix!" Harry replied keeping his wand leveled on the woman as the group slowly started to separate to flank her.

"He does. But he was also quite clear that I could play as much as I wanted once the prophecy was no longer in play. You smashed it so now I can play," Bellatrix smirked at him and Dora felt a tremble run down her back. The mix of sanity and insanity peering out at them was disturbing to an extreme. "You _reeeaaaallllly_ shouldn't have broken that sphere, Harry."

"And _you_ shouldn't have killed my Uncle! _Bombarda_!" With Harry's spell the battle was engaged again. This time there was no taunting on either side. Dora barely had time to catch her breath in between spells to dodge out of the way of the next one. Bellatrix was like a woman possessed, fighting three opponents without seeming to break a sweat. She sent Killing Curses, bone-breakers, fire whips, explosions, blood-boilers…Watching Bellatrix use her repertoire was like sitting in on a Dark Curses 101 course.

Jumping behind the marble guard station to avoid yet another entrails expelling curse, Dora panted. A brief cry of pain rang out and Dora leapt back out to rejoin the battle. She saw a flame whip wrapped around Hermione's upper left arm with Harry barreling forward towards the whip behind a levitating shield of ice. Growling, Dora shouted, " _Reducto_!" Instead of aiming at Bellatrix – who would likely end up dodging or shielding anyway – she directed the spell at the Death Eater's feet. Bellatrix turned to leer at Dora and shifted her wand slightly to catch the spell. Her eyes widened as she realized her mistake an instant too late and the floor of the Atrium erupted at her feet.

Between Bellatrix's loss of concentration and Harry's icy disruption, the fire whip dissipated into nothingness. Hermione hissed in pain and tore off the damage section of her robes leaving the burnt skin visible and her arm hanging loosely at her side.

"You're learning, girly!" Bellatrix shouted from behind the pillar she'd fallen next to. "That's the way to fight! Now let Aunty Bella show you some extra skills!"

Dora froze for a single instant. By the time she realized that Bellatrix was simply giving out her usual taunts and hadn't actually realized who Dora was it was too late. A nasty severing curse was shooting straight towards her and the other two were too far away to help. Dora didn't have time to block or dodge so she did the only thing she could think of.

She morphed.

A long time ago, back when she was a kid, Dora had seen a movie with a creepy alien whose legs bent the wrong way. That movie scared the heck out of her but the image of the back-bent legs on a humanoid being stayed with her. Her one attempt at trying such a feat using her powers had ended up in a three day stay at St. Mungo's.

But she was older now and more experienced – and more desperate. Dora used her ability and thrust her knees backwards shifting the muscles around to compensate and dropping her center of mass. Amazingly enough, she didn't end up screaming in pain and the shift in her center of gravity was just enough to help her move out of the way of the spell. Instead of losing an ear she was left with yet another energy burn.

Flipping her knees back the right way forward Dora flashed Bellatrix a taunting smile. "You'll have to do better than that, _Aunty Bella_." Even if most of the bravado was forced it didn't make a difference. It succeeded in enraging Bellatrix further. Bellatrix raised her wand, but was struck on the side by an orange jet of flame from Harry before she could issue forth any spells.

"Time to end this children! _Fiendfy_ – "

" _Expelliarmus_!" a new voice shouted in the din cutting off Bellatrix's spell before it could fully form. The Death Eater scowled and jumped managing to snatch her wand back before it had flown more than a hands-span away. Dora turned a slightly gaping expression to catch Sirius running into the room from the Entrance Hall. He only had one shoe on, half his robe was cut off and bandages were wrapped around his head and chest yet his expression was one of pure determination. "Stay the hell away from my family, _Cousin_."

"Siri! So good to see you again! Come back to die properly this time? Or perhaps you missed your old cell? I could put in a good word with the Master and get you sent back there once we finish up here if you'd like?" Bellatrix grinned and the coy tone did nothing to mask the maliciousness underneath it.

For his part Sirius just glared and came to a stop, hemming Bellatrix in. "Lay down your wand I won't kill you, Bella. Cast a single spell and this dance doesn't end until one of us does."

"Those are my _favorite_ dances!" Bellatrix grinned and slashed her wand down. " _Ulcere sanguis_!"

"Sirius, move!" Harry shouted. He needn't have bothered. Sirius raised a stone pillar to block the spell and launched a bone-breaker at Bellatrix. Dora joined in with a severing curse and Hermione and Harry each launched explosive hexes at the woman. Dora heard a quiet ding behind her as their efforts wrought fruit ahead. Bellatrix was thrown out from behind her shields and coughed out blood as she rolled to a stop on the ground back near the guard station.

"Fools." Bellatrix started to cackle setting Dora's hair on end. Four wands leveled at her, her own knocked aside and bleeding internally…and the bitch still thought she had the upper hand. Bellatrix shifted as she levered herself up enough to grin at them all, the movement knocking a locket free from the folds of the robes near her neck. "You're not the only ones who can stall you know," she said with a large grin as she met all of their eyes.

Dora felt the color drain out of her features and she wrenched her gaze up just in time to see a black clad wraith sweep into the room, red eyes blazing and his wand in the process of rising. " _Harry, DUCK!_ " she shouted just as Voldemort loosed his Killing Curse.

The warning was close, but effective. Harry didn't question or look around, he just dropped into a crouch and the green beam passed harmless over his head. Twisting on his heel Harry shot off a blasting curse at Voldemort who just batted it aside with his wand. Voldemort nodded towards the teen and smiled. "So it seems I greatly underestimated your capabilities, Harry Potter. Considering many of my trusted lie bleeding beneath us, you must be quite proud."

"Back off, Voldemort!" Sirius shouted shifting to stand in front of Harry. "You're outnumbered."

Dora gulped. That was a horrifically weak attempt at intimidation. It would've been better if Sirius had just stayed quiet. Numbers didn't make much difference when it came to a Dark Lord. Grindelwald had supposedly faced off against nearly the entire American Auror Corps, an Obscurus and a _thunderbird_ and walked away without a scratch. Newt Scamander had managed to help capture him for all of a week before the evil bastard was back wreaking havoc. Voldemort himself had a horrible tendency to turn 'overwhelming numbers' into 'overwhelming horror show.' After all, _he_ was free to fire devastating wide-area attacks with impunity while the defenders were left scrambling to avoid striking their own…

"Stand aside, Black. This is for myself and the Potter boy. We have unfinished business."

Harry stepped next to Sirius and tried to shove him to the side with only minimal success. "After all the effort to get me here, why show up yourself anyway? Did we frighten you that much, Tom? Are you scared that the story of three school children beating nearly a dozen Death Eaters is going to get out before you can slaughter us all?"

Dora was close enough to hear Hermione murmur under breath at that statement. "Technically we only defeated four and a half."

"What was the prophecy, Harry?" Voldemort whispered. Somehow his voice still managed to carry throughout the entire room and the claws in Dora's back dug in a little deeper. "Tell me and I will let your friends live."

"It said that you lose. That's all. A little shawled figure popped up and said that you lose. Do not pass Go, do not collect 50 galleons. So be a good boy, Voldy, cave to prophecy and let us kill you," Dora said stepping forward to stand next to Harry, Sirius and Hermione. She heard another ding behind her, but paid it no mind as Voldemort started to laugh across from her.

"What she said," Harry stated cocking a thumb at Dora. "We're going to beat you, Tom. Maybe not here, maybe not now, but we're going to beat you."

"Very well then. I have conquered death itself, Harry Potter. You and your meager band are like naught but ants before my might. I shall simply have to destroy you all and sort through the pieces if it later becomes relevant." There was no pause between Voldemort's little speech and when he started firing spells. It almost seemed like his arm apparated by itself with how fast he started casting curses at them.

Dora raced from flick to swish to circle to jab and was barely able to hold on against the onslaught. Sirius and Hermione weren't doing much better with both of them having to leap to the side to avoid a lance of green death that seemed to reach towards the both of time simultaneously. Harry was the only one of the small group that managed to get an attack in. Not that it did much. Voldemort didn't even bother defending, he simply shot a spell at Harry's bone-breaker that launched it harmlessly off into a wall.

Panting Dora leapt to one side to avoid a spike of rock hurtling towards her and cried out as her foot slipped on a patch of water splashed out from damage to the fountain. Landing hard, Dora raised a shield in front of her to block the next few spells sent her way. The shield managed to block several without issues; unfortunately just as she finally managed to scramble and get her feet under her the next spell shattered the shield and smashed the ground in front of her. Dora was blown back, her feet knocked out again and she couldn't move fast enough to avoid yet _another_ spell barreling down on her. She tried to roll away, but only made it halfway before a pair of arms circled her waist and hauled her to the side, leaving Voldemort's spell to sail harmlessly through the air.

"How many times do I have to save your arse today?" Tonks murmured from behind her.

Before Dora could muster up a reply a Gaelic battle cry resounded right next to her and she watched wide-eyed as McGonagall sprinted past the two metamorph's and animated the fountain decorations. The centaur and house elf immediately leapt forward, one blocking a spell heading towards Hermione and the other landing next to Harry before charging forward to engage Voldemort in melee.

"Lift's heading back down for the others. Let's keep this bastard busy shall we!"

Dora could only nod as Tonks set her down and together both charged back in to join the fray. They launched a duel bludgeoning hex at Voldemort just as McGonagall and Sirius sent ropes of fire and icy spikes towards the Dark Lord. Voldemort blasted the centaur to pieces, knocked aside most of the curses with a shield and screamed in annoyance. He barely took a moment to center himself before retaliating with a jet of black energy undulating like flames. Dora dived to the side and rolled behind a pillar of stone that Sirius had just conjured to protect Harry and himself, all three panting heavily. "How the hell did you survive against this monster three times already?" Dora muttered to Harry as a wave of flame swept past their cover.

"Luck. _Lots_ of luck," Harry replied.

"Well it's a good thing you've still got that then, pup," Sirius commented grinning. "Reinforcements are here!"

Dora whipped her head around and couldn't help a small grin of triumph. Dozens of people were standing at the edge of the Atrium with Cornelius Fudge and Pius Thicknesse in the lead. Off to the side were at least 8 Aurors, Amelia Bones standing at their head. The Atrium fell deathly silent as the spells stopped flying. Dora risked a glance over the edge of the stone pillar and felt like laughing at the expression of rage that flitted across Voldemort's face.

"Wizards and witches of Britain," Voldemort stated regally as he stood up straight and started to walk leisurely to the side near where Bellatrix lay on the ground. "The time of change is at hand. I have conquered death itself and I will graciously lead you into the new – "

"You won't lead us anywhere, Riddle, because we're going to kill you – _correctly_ this time!" Sirius shouted standing and holding his wand on the wizard. He seemed completely unfazed when nearly half the Aurors shifted their wands from Voldemort to him. "Lily took you down once. We'll finish the job!"

"And if you get any bright ideas about trying to come back again, we'll just kill you a third time," Tonks shouted.

"You will _not_ infect my students with your darkness!" McGonagall snarled. "No more families will be torn apart by your hatred!"

"We're not afraid of you, Tom!" Harry stated standing tall. "You rule through fear. We're _not afraid_."

"You _will_ be, Harry Potter," Voldemort said softly, his eyes narrowed until they were single pinpoint dots of red. "You _will_ _be_." Without further pomp or ceremony, Voldemort reached down, grabbed Bellatrix and apparated away. Almost a dozen spells converged on the spot he had been in but a second before. The Dark Lord and his most faithful lieutenant had escaped.

* * *

"W-w-what w-w-as _that_?! That _couldn't_ be…it just _couldn't_ be…t-that's not possi-possible! He's _DEAD_!" Fudge's panicked ranting pulled Dora's attention from Tonk's healing administrations on her shoulder. Dora scowled over at the little man and tried to push back down the battle rage that rose up unbidden in her stomach. This cretin was still refusing to accept reality even after seeing it with his own eyes! "Dumbledore! We need Dumbledore! Dumbledore can ex-explain what just happened! He can – Dumbledore! You're _HERE_! Thank Merlin! Please! You have to help! We were all just confounded en masse by – "

Fudge cut off abruptly as a red stunning spell slammed into his back and caused the ex-Minister to crumple to the ground. Amelia walked over and shot a darkly amused look at the man she'd just knocked out before switching her gaze to Thicknesse. "Someone get the former Minister a calming drought before reawakening him please. There's no need to incite a panic over false facts at this junction. Wouldn't you agree, _Minister_?" Dora idly wondered just how long Amelia Bones had had to practice to get a single word dripping with such blatant scorn. "Perhaps now you will believe me when I say I need more forces because we have a major terrorist situation on hand. Perhaps now we can do away with some of the more imbecilic policy holdovers from the _previous_ administration. Perhaps now we can finally discuss that little tidbit about _Sirius Black not being a Death Eater_!"

"I think those are all splendid ideas, Madame Bones," Dumbledore stated as he walked regally through the crowd sparing a sad glance down at Fudge before stepping towards Amelia. "Pius, please do ensure that things are cleaned up here. I must take my students back to Hogwarts before they are missed terribly by their classmates."

"Yes, of course. Of course…" Thicknesse said trailing off as he stared wide-eyed around the ruined Atrium. "We'll just touch things up before the morning rush then…Um, Mr…Lord…err…Black, we'll be in touch to discuss Director Bones' assertions…"

"Dumbledore these teenagers are witnesses to a crime and I will need to interview them. That's completely disregarding the fact that they are _here_ to _begin_ with! Something which I am very curious to – " Amelia started to say before Dumbledore waved a conciliatory hand and turned his twinkling gaze on her.

"I understand, Amelia. However, my students have had a long night. If you wish to speak with them you may arrange to do so at Hogwarts over the next few days. Excuse me." Amelia just scowled in response. Her hand twitched towards her wand, though she ultimately decided to stay quiet instead of starting another fight.

"Albus," McGonagall said stepping to his side as Dumbledore walked towards Dora and her friends. "Remus…he…"

"I know," Dumbledore said softly as his head hung. "He will be greatly missed. But we have other matters to take care of now. Please take Miss Kirk and Miss Granger back to Headquarters, I will accompany Mr. Potter to my office directly. We have much to discuss the two of us. I have failed rather spectacularly this evening and he deserves some answers as to how this has come to pass."

"Where _were_ you?" Tonks hissed. "Do you have any idea how badly this almost went?"

"I have fought with Voldemort myself previously so yes, I _do_ understand, Nymphadora," Dumbledore stated. His mouth twitched and his eyes closed. "There had been an emergency ICW session called several hours ago. Such sessions are closed doors with all magical means of communication blocked until the assembly is completed. I did not realize it had been instigated by Lucius Malfoy until it was too late. I brought the meeting to a close as soon as possible…not soon enough it seems."

"Not _remotely_ soon enough," Harry spat out. He stood and stalked the rest of the distance between the two of them. "Let's get this over with, Headmaster. You're going to give me answers? Great. Dora, Hermione, wait for me in the Common Room when you get back."

Dumbledore grimaced and nodded. He took out two pieces of rope, a brief muttered _portus_ saw one handed to Tonks and the second was given to Harry. Dumbledore and Harry were nearly immediately whisked away by the portkey leaving Dora to sigh at the now empty space. "Our turn now I take it?" she held out her hand and smiled slightly as she felt Hermione drape her own over it so that both could touch the portkey in Tonks' hand. Sirius quickly shook off the Ministry healer doting over him and joined them. A quick jerk behind the navel and the four saw the Atrium disappear into the ether.

* * *

Dora had barely landed in Grimmauld Place's entrance hall before freezing and gaping at the scene in front of her. There was a loud gasp beside her as Hermione also looked out on the devastated section of the house. Burn marks covered large swathes of the back wall, fist-sized holes were punched through the division near the kitchen, feathers were scattered about, small spatters of blood were evident in one corner…Dora's eyes dropped down and her mouth twisted into a slightly vindictive smirk as she caught sight of the mangled remains of her nemesis; the Troll Leg was snapped _completely_ in half.

"I thought you were being metaphorical when you said you had to kill, Kreacher," Hermione whispered. "This is…not metaphorical."

"Nope," Tonks commented with a heavy sigh. "I didn't like the little bastard, but he was what our family made him. Wish he hadn't forced us into this, but what's done is done."

" _I'm_ not sorry you killed him," Sirius said scowling. "Just wish I could've joined in. That Merlin-be-damned elf smashed me with a rolling pin! A _rolling pin_! That sort of thing only happens in Muggle movies! Bloody near gave me a concussion too!"

"What-" Dora paused to swallow down the guilt at letting Harry convince her into going to the Ministry anyway despite her foreknowledge. "What _actually_ happened? Hermione had a theory, but…"

"That was partially bravado," Hermione murmured. "It made sense and was somewhat plausible and it was what Harry needed to hear in addition to setting the Death Eaters off balance. I can't say it was remotely accurate though."

"Well if you said I got tagged by a Death Eater trying to extract Tonks' mum and dad then got walloped over the head by a deranged, murderous house elf you'd have hit the nail on the head," Sirius commented. He pushed past them and started to head up the stairs. He stopped as he moved past Dora and slowly craned his head back around to stare at something. Stepping back behind her Sirius stopped again and lifted a hand to rub his chin. "Dora…what is _that_?"

"What is what?" Dora asked turned around to try and see what Sirius was staring at. She was halfway through her turn before she realized he was gazing at her back with his head cocked to the side. As she twisted slightly, Hermione and Tonks both pulled back and stared as well. "Okay seriously, _what_? Do I have pieces of cognivore on my back or something?" Dora grumped as she stalked forward enough to face the mostly still intact mirror on the wall. Twisting and craning her neck around Dora finally caught a glimpse of what had the others so intrigued.

Clinging to her back was a…creature. It was small enough that it only covered about a quarter of her upper back and its small protruding snout was turned around to look into the mirror. Dora's gaze met the creature's and for an instant both just stared at each other. The calm broke a second later as Dora screamed, " _What the hell is that!? What's it doing on me?! When did it get on me?! Get it off, get it off, get it off!_ " Her scream was met by an answering screech from the ball of fur as its mouth split wide showing off a row of small perfectly flat teeth and it dug its claws into her back in terror. _Icy claws digging into my back throughout the fight…oh you have_ got _to be_ kidding _me!_ "Get it off!"

"Dora, stop! Calm down!" Hermione yelled. "It's just as scared of you! You're only frightening it more by flailing!"

"Easy for you to say!" Dora shouted back doing her best to stop panicking and locking all of her muscles taunt. "You're not the one with a Merlin-be-damned _hitchhiker_!"

Sirius snorted as he walked over and gently reached out to Dora's back. "There, there little one. It's okay, the mean teenager didn't mean to scare you. Come to Daddy Padfoot." Dora felt a brief flash of pain as the creature's claws released and she immediately twisted around and back-stepped to the opposite side of the small hall. Frowning she leaned in slightly to get a better look at the thing. It was…almost cute in a homely sort of way. The snout was more like a hedgehog than anything else and the claws almost looked like incredibly tiny anteater claws. It had soft, short, brown fur covering its four limbs. Most intriguing of all were the tiny little horns on the top of its head which were twisted into an S-shape.

"There, see, it's calming down already," Hermione stated as she walked forward. "Do you think it latched onto you as we ran through the menagerie room?"

Dora frowned as the animal twisted to sniff at Hermione. "What, you mean when that idiot smashed the lethifold's cage and a few others? I don't know…maybe? I felt something hit me, but I thought it was just debris…"

"Any why did we only just see it?" Tonks asked. "A Notice-Me-Not variant used as a self-defense mechanism you think? Moody always used to talk about how we got some of the most useful stealth spells from copying some naturally magical creatures…"

"Makes as much sense as anything else today," Dora muttered glaring at the creature. "You know if you wanted a ride out of the madhouse you could've just asked like a polite wannabe pet." The animal turned back to her and almost flicked its nose at her before panting in a manner vaguely reminiscent of a smile. "Yeah sure, be cute now that you're not digging into my back. Little monster. What even _are_ you?"

Hermione eyed the creature skeptically before she gasped, a hand flying to her mouth. A second later she uttered an aggravated groan, tilting her head back and shutting her eyes in denial. "I can't believe this…it's a _snorkack_ , Dora. I recognize it from Luna's drawings. Her imaginary miniature horned mammal _does_ exist. This day is moving so far beyond sanity it is starting to loop right back around to becoming sane again."

"Which fits perfectly well with my godson's life from what I understand," Sirius said with a small snort of laughter. "Come on. Let's get on into the study. It has wards that can seal against any and all eavesdropping spells or enchantments. We're going to need it. You can come little buddy; we won't give you back to the mean old Unspeakables that locked you up." A snuffling agreement sounded from Sirius' new friend.

The others dutifully followed him up the stairs as Dora frowned and an earlier chunk of the conversation suddenly slammed back home and took root leaving butterflies madly beating against her stomach. "Sirius, you mentioned having to extract m-Andromeda and Ted Tonks? What happened that they needed extraction?"

"Got a tip at the office that they were being targeted," Tonks said from behind Dora. A hand landed gently on her shoulder and squeezed. "They're fine by the way; they're staying with my grandparents at their beach house where no witch or wizard would think to look for them. Besides it turned out that it wasn't even anything important; just some harebrained scheme to get Sirius to panic and expose himself."

"Can't believe I let it work too," Sirius growled as he reached the third floor and waved everyone into an open door that materialized out of an empty wall between Buckbeak's room and the attic. "After the shite I pulled with Peter – _twice_ – you'd think I'd have learned by now. At least now I'll hopefully be able to move around freely thanks to all the hoopla today. Kinda hard to keep proclaiming I'm Voldemort's right hand man while fighting against the arsehole side-by-side with Harry Potter."

Tonks leaned back against the door as she shut it and nodded with her arms crossed. "Most likely. Director Bones looked pretty bloody tired of taking orders from idiots and I think it's a fair bet that she'd going to use this to take the reins herself during the official election next month. She doesn't want the job, but if she thinks it's the only way to ensure we get things _done_ she'll take it. That includes getting you an official apology and pardon, Cousin."

"About time," Sirius muttered. He dropped into a large elegant chair behind the desk waving for Hermione to take a seat across from him. As Dora moved to sit as well, Sirius held up his hand and shook his head. "Not you, Dora. Not yet."

Dora heaved a titanic sigh and nodded hanging her head. "Guess I have some explaining to do, huh?"

"Yes," three voices echoed in near harmony. What followed was a mildly amusing glance between all parties and several snorts of almost laughter before things died down again. Tonks was the first to speak up. "Let's start with you dropping the morph fully. I saw enough in the DOM to get a pretty decent idea of what the hell is going on, but it stretches the bounds of impossibility so much that I'd almost sooner believe you're Morgana reincarnated."

Dora nodded again and let go of her mental restraints. She felt herself grow an inch and her breasts ballooned out ever so slightly. Her hair changed to a mousy brown and extended to shoulder length while her cheek bones became ever so slightly more harsh and forbidding. She frowned as the changes stopped and took stock of her body. Her _default_ body…

"I said, _drop the fucking morph_!" Tonks snarled.

"I _did_!" Dora retorted, scowling. This wasn't right at all. She was two inches too short, her hair was too long, she didn't have enough muscle, her legs weren't remotely the right length, her face wasn't heart-shaped, her hips were too tiny…This _wasn't right_! "I don't understand! I don't look like this!"

"You do now," Sirius said with a sigh. "Merge your teenage look and your adult look and you get," he stopped and waved hand in Dora's general direction, " _this_. Neat trick that by the way. I wonder if any other metamorphs realized that you can alter your base form by tricking your magic into believing the morph is the _real_ self."

" _What_?!" Dora and Tonks both said turning to stare at Sirius with wide eyes and slack jaws.

For his part he just shrugged and petted his snorkack. "Seems pretty obvious to me. You've been playing a teenager long enough that your magic accepts it and has somewhat reverted your original body into a weird hybrid of the two. A few more months and 'Dora Kirk' probably _will_ be your baseline."

"Dora?" Hermione said slowly sounding lost and with a slight quaver present in her tone. "Are you…are you… _Tonks_?"

Dora shut her eyes and grimaced before slowly nodding. "Yes. I'm sorry I lied to you, Hermione. I'm sorry I lied to everyone…I just…I was so scared and it seemed like the best option at the time and it just…it ballooned out and…I'm so sorry, Hermione."

"This is all sorts of screwed up," Tonks muttered. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and frowned as she turned to Sirius. "When the bloody hell did _you_ figure this shite out? You've had like two face-to-face interactions with her! Me! Dora! Morgana, what do I even _call_ you?"

"Dora, please," Dora murmured kicking the ground. "I feel more like 'Dora' than 'Tonks' at this point. It's been that way for a while now."

Sirius nodded. "I can attest to that. Funnily enough, that's how I knew too. My father had a tapestry passed down to him from his father all the way back for generations. It updates itself whenever a new member of the extended Black tree is born. Mother liked to burn the 'traitors' off of it, but her efforts never actually touched the magic of the tapestry. A little while back, I was cleaning up a bit and found the most intriguing thing." He stopped and grinned at the narrowed eyes of all present and, after drawing the silence out for several moments, held out his hands in surrender. "There was a new addition to the tapestry: a little Miss Theodora Nymean Kirk; branching right off from Tonks' entry in a jagged line. I've never seen a jagged line before. Dotted, solid, straight, curved, looped, sure. Jagged? Nope. So I got to thinking and realized how _unusual_ it was for _two_ metamorphs to be in the same area of the same country at the same time at relatively the same age. At first I considered that Tonks had gone and gotten knocked up a few years back and her kid was some sort of prodigy or time traveler."

"I'm not sure if I should be offended by that or not," Tonks muttered.

Sirius just winked at her and continued. "Then I realized that situation wouldn't be a _jagged_ line and even if it was, there was a far simpler explanation I was already on. Time traveler. So, Miss Dora Kirk, what time _are_ you from?" Sirius finished up smiling at them and steepling his fingers not unlike a Hollywood movie character himself.

"This year. Now. _Tonight_ ," Hermione gasped a hand flying back to cover her mouth. "God…It was when I knocked you out of the way of that spell in the room with the Time Turners wasn't it? That's why you looked so completely dumbfounded afterwards. That's why you've been freaking out all day and losing control of your morph the longer we were down there…You _knew_ this would all happen!"

Dora collapsed into a chair and curled her knees up into her chest. "Yeah, I did. The first time around, I knocked Harry out of the way, but slipped and got blasted into that clock. I wound up back at September 1st. I panicked a bit and decided that everything went tits up because Harry was miserable all year and no one cared enough to bother trying to do anything. I figured…"

"You figured you'd help him yourself then and try to head this battle off before it could start," Tonks said frowning. She rubbed the bridge of her nose again and let out an explosive sigh. "Why didn't you _tell_ anyone else?"

"I didn't know who I could trust," Dora murmured. "I'd just narrowly avoiding being the Unspeakables' new plaything, I wasn't sure if you'd freak out and turn me in because I didn't know if _I'd_ freak out and turn me in in your shoes. I couldn't go to Moody because he's too paranoid to wait long enough for me to explain. I couldn't go to Amelia because she'd feel she _had_ to turn me in; even if only to get me medically checked out. The Weasleys are wonderful people, but you know they'd tell Dumbledore the instant I showed up on their door. Hestia would panic and probably hex me six ways to Sunday. Shack was an option, but to be perfectly honest I didn't even consider it until I was neck deep in and too far to pull back out. McGonagall again was an option, but again she'd jump right to Dumbledore. And Dumbledore himself…"

"You didn't trust him because his need for secrets is dangerous and he'd probably obliviate you or send you across the world," Tonks finished with a sigh.

Dora nodded. "Almost word for word."

"Merlin," Hermione said shaking her head. "You two really are eerily similar in thought processes."

Dora shrugged. "More or less. We're getting a lot more divergent though. I first noticed it during Christmas. Luna figured it out ages before me and has been trying to convince me for a while. I guess with my default being…this…she's more right than I wanted to admit even to myself."

" _Luna_ knew about this?" Hermione asked her jaw dropping. She snapped her mouth closed again and scowled. "She's known for _months_?"

"Don't feel jilted, Hermione," Dora said with a sigh. "She's known since she first saw me on the train. That girl is…she sees things that the rest of us don't. One day I'll figure it out…probably."

Sirius nodded. "Okay, so that's one question answered. So here's a bigger one: how bad was it the first time? Did we lose that horribly?"

Dora buried her head in between her legs and let out a strangled half sob as the memories of the bodies flew back into her head. She gave a slight start as soft arms wrapped around her and Dora's head was shifted ever so slightly to cushion against a mane of brown hair. "It's okay, Dora. None of us are abandoning you and none of us are judging. When I asked earlier you said that I had died and seemed to imply that others had as well?" Twin gasps sounded from near the desk though Dora just ignored them and burrowed deeper into Hermione's chest.

"We got there too late, Hermione," Dora sobbed. "Ron had been attacked by the cognivores and was barely holding his sanity together. You had bled out at Harry and Neville's feet after they dragged you into the Death Chamber. Ginny was missing, either dead or captured and I don't even know which is worse. Hestia was taken out by their rearguard before we even got into the first room of the Department. McGonagall was laid out fighting for her life after being hit by six stunners at once the night before. Hagrid had run off into the Forbidden Forest thanks to Umbridge. Dumbledore was in hiding. Sirius fell through the Veil just like-Sirius fell through the Veil. And Harry…Harry was messed up enough that he cast the _Cruciatus_ at Bellatrix! "

She felt Hermione stiffen for several seconds before a shudder ran through the other girl and Dora was suddenly squeezed hard enough to have difficulty breathing. "In that case you did well, Dora. You did well."

"I'll say," Sirius said with a forced laugh. "That sounds like a bloody nightmare. Sure, it sucks that you three ended up fighting in that madhouse department _anyway_ , but everyone walked out alive and we managed to show the rest of the Wizarding community that old Voldy is still running around so I'd say we pulled this one off as a win!"

Dora and Hermione both froze. Dora pulled back enough to stare into Hermione's eyes and the brunette started biting her lip. They turned to Sirius, but before either could say anything Tonks had moved over to the desk and rested her hand over her cousin's. "Sirius…Remus didn't make it. Bellatrix hit him with something while he was fighting. He…he was dead almost as soon as it hit him. I didn't recognize the spell itself, but I saw the light go out in his eyes. We don't even have a body to bury because he fell through the Veil…I'm sorry. I…I'm sorry."

Sirius just worked his mouth for a few seconds with no sounds coming out. Eventually he gave up trying and leaned back into the chair with his eyes screwed shut and the snorkack clutched tight to his chest with one hand, the other firmly holding onto Tonks. "Right. That's…right. It's not your fault. And Dora it's not yours either. It's – "

"It _is_!" Dora shouted pushing forward and jumping to her feet. She slammed both hands on the desk and glared at all three. "It _is_ my fault! I _knew_ it was a trap! I _knew_ it would go bad if we went there! I didn't stop it! I should've knocked Harry out and woken him up later instead of taking the stupid risk of going back to that hellhole! Remus died because I was too bloody arrogant and didn't see the house of cards falling until it was too late! Remus died because I acted exactly like Dumbledore and kept all of the best snippets to myself! Remus died because of me!"

"Remus died because he missed a block and because he was fighting against the stupidly powerful and insanely skilled Bellatrix Lestrange," Tonks stated quietly. Her words hung in the air slicing through the tension like butter. "Could you have done things differently? Sure. Could you have told a few of us so that we walked in better prepared? Yes. But you didn't. The Death Eaters would have gotten Harry there one way or the other. This way at least it was in a somewhat controlled fashion. Remus died because Bellatrix stopped playing with us and got serious. He knew who he was choosing to fight. Too many of us subscribe to Dumbledore's Thou-Shalt-Not-Kill policy and pull our punches when we really shouldn't. We walked away with a single casualty while they took at least six. This wasn't perfect. Not by a long shot. But it wasn't a loss either, Dora." She stopped and sighed heavily shifting to sit on the desk and stare at the wall. "Remember what Moody always used to tell me…you…us… _Rule 0: In some battles – and most wars – you have to accept sometimes that the best possible outcome is simply not losing._ "

* * *

The two teens stayed at Grimmauld Place for another half hour before admitting it was time to return to Hogwarts. School was almost over and there would be time to discuss events and plans in more detail once the summer officially started.

"Dora," Sirius said as the group gathered in the kitchen for Tonks to apparate the two back. "Once Hogwarts is out I want you to know you're welcome to stay here. I don't know if you plan to tell Andi and Ted or to bunk at Tonks' place…"

"Yeah 'cause _that_ wouldn't be weird _at all_ ," Tonks muttered.

" _But_ ," Sirius continued rolling his eyes in amusement at his cousin's antics, "As I was saying, Grimmauld is always open to you. I think we can all agree that no matter what you call yourself or who you currently think of yourself as, you are first and foremost a member of this family. The House Black welcomes you with open arms; officially too if I ever get that pardon from the Ministry."

Dora smiled softly as she felt one of the weights on her shoulders dissipate. Of all the ways for Sirius to react to hearing about her origins she'd never quite expected it to be with enthusiastic applause. "Thanks, Sirius. I think I may end up taking you up on that. Telling mum and dad would…it's a bit much. I may decide to do it eventually, but I still need to think about it. There should only be one Tonks. Two is a bit too much awesome to handle in one place."

Tonks snorted. "Eh, as long as you're not bunking in my room I think this world could use a bit more 'awesome'. Especially considering the shite that is likely to start occurring more often now with good ol' Voldy revealed to the masses. Come on you lot, let's get back to school. Sirius, do me a favor and try to stay here until I get word from Amelia? _Please_?"

"Promise, Cousin. Get going you three. I'll hold down the fort." A snuffle sounded around from his shoulder and the snorkack reared its head over his back. The little creature headbutted his shoulder affectionately before pushing off and jumping over to Dora who just barely managed to snatch the critter from the air.

"Jeez, you are a real handful," Dora murmured to the snorkack who chuffed at her and did its strange smile thing. "Sirius, I think your new pet wants to see the castle. Mind if I bring it with me for the last week?"

"Betrayed by my own snorkack! Ah, Moony would be so proud of the critter, already knowing who's the responsible one!" He wiped a tear from his eye. Dora wasn't sure if it was dramatics or actually real. She wasn't sure she wanted to know.

Hermione sighed and shook her head. "We really should show him to Luna. She deserves to know she was right about his existence – as much as I hate to admit it."

"Right, the snorkack comes," Tonks said rolling her eyes. "Alright, hang onto your robes girls." Without further ado Tonks proceeded to grab both teens by the arms and twist. Dora's stomach dropped out and she was barely able to keep her feet as the three popped into existence on the path up to the Hogwarts gates. "Ugh, I hate doing that with two passengers. Side-along sucks."

"You know I could've gotten myself here," Dora muttered clutching her rolling stomach with one hand and shifting the snorkack to her shoulder with the other. "Cat's out of the bag now, there's no point in hiding that I can apparate."

"There is when you're going to be doing it near people before you're officially 17. Again, 17….again…" Tonks said. She continued in a mutter that Dora barely heard. " _And_ I totally forgot you could. Stupid bloody time travel messing everything up."

The group turned to walk up the path in uncomfortable silence. The gates were almost in sight when Dora couldn't stand it any longer. "Tonks…thank you for, well, for helping me earlier throughout this year. It was _weird_ , but honestly it helped a lot to get me a bit more settled into things."

Tonks sighed and nodded. "Yeah. This is going to be awkward between us now for a while I expect. Still…if you need anything, call me. I'd like to think I'm a bit more responsible than my cousin – _our_ cousin?"

"I think 'our' is appropriate," Hermione said softly. "We should just say that Sirius is officially extending his offer of shelter under the Black banner if we are ever questioned by others as to why Dora calls him 'cousin'. This…situation…isn't something that should be widely known."

"Nooooo, really?" Dora said smirking at Hermione. "And what in the name of Merlin's saggy sack ever gave you the idea I'd be shouting out my unusual origin from the top of the Astronomy tower?"

"Language!" Hermione snapped halfheartedly. All three stopped for a moment and shared a quiet laugh at Hermione's automatic response. After calming down they walked the last few feet to the gates and Tonks pushed it open.

"You two okay from here?" Tonks asked. At their nods, she pulled the gate shut and closed her eyes for a moment. "Okay. I'll work on things at the Ministry and I'll try to keep you both posted on anything relevant to either Sirius or Voldemort. Hermione, Dora, I have no idea what Dumbledore is telling Harry, but I'm willing to bet a lot of galleons that that boy will tell you two in an instant. I'm not going to demand, but I will _ask_ that you tell me as soon as possible what the secret is. If this night has taught us nothing else, it's how bad keeping secrets can go for all involved. So please, if there is a major revelation at least tell me and Sirius. The more eyes we have on this problem, the more chances we have of getting it right when the dust settles."

"Agreed," Dora stated. She looked at the ground before squaring her shoulders and meeting Tonks' gaze. "As long as Harry doesn't swear us to secrecy I promise I'll bring you both up to speed once I get back to the manor. Thanks for…well thanks for everything so far, Tonks."

"Be good you two. I'll see you in a week. And, Dora, you should tell Mum and Dad. They really deserve to know. Think about it." Tonks waved and turned away to begin trudging back down the path to Hogsmeade leaving Hermione and Dora to start their walk back to the Gryffindor Tower.

They had only gone a few paces when Hermione turned to Dora with a carefully guarded expression. "Why didn't you tell me anything, Dora? I thought we were friends…This is…I realize that this is not the sort of secret that you go explaining to everyone – even if they are close to you – but…besides Harry you are the closest friend I have."

Dora frowned. "What about Ron?"

"Ron is a good friend, but it's not like I can talk to him about _girly things_ ," she said with an annoyed sigh. "And apparently _girly things_ consists of a great deal of normal everyday items according to Ron. That is in addition to it being rather hard to justify getting truly close with someone who is so diametrically opposite to your own views concerning hard work and general magical research."

"He has been getting better…" Dora tried with a small grimace. Helping Ron to mature had somewhat fallen to the wayside with all of the other stressors and items needing her attention in the last few months.

"Yes, he certainly has improved quite a bit," Hermione agreed. "But when his improvement is centered around Quidditch references it gets rather old rather fast. I don't particularly like the game and now he just keeps trying to help Neville gain confidence with tales of Martin Marcus and his Save of '82. Or he's busy attempting to convince Tracy that she's just like Larina Gibson when she crossed over from the Harpies to join the Cannons." Hermione paused and a small smile graced her lips. "Actually that metaphor was rather entertaining. Daphne and I had a good laugh over that one."

Dora chortled. "Wish I'd heard that. Hey, at least he's actively talking with the Slytherins now. But back to what you were saying, Hermione, I didn't tell you because I was scared you'd walk away. You _are_ my best friend here. You, Harry and Luna. If you had left…I don't know what I'd have done. I was just scared, Hermione. Luna was the only one who knew and that was just because she figured it out from the jigglypuffs or hicklepinks or…hell I don't remember which critters were hanging around me back then."

Hermione remained silent until they were steps away from the doors into the castle. "Were you planning on remaining silent forever then? Even after I forced your hand when asking if you had lived these events prior to our little jaunt?"

"No," Dora murmured. "No, one way or the other I was planning on telling both you and Harry once the year was over. I just…I wanted to try and stay with you both until the Ministry battle had passed. Until I could be sure I had avoided it. Fat lot of good that did, huh?"

Dora had reached for the handle of the doors but her hand was trapped against her side as Hermione turned and wrapped her in a rib-cracking hug. "I understand, Dora. I may not like it, but I understand. You kept most of our friends out of danger with your actions while shouldering far too much of the burden onto yourself. I wish you had told me sooner so I could have helped, but at least I know now. I can't speak for Harry, but _I_ at least am not going anywhere. I have been – and always shall be, your friend Dora Kirk."

"Did you just quote Star Trek at me, Hermione?" Dora asked as she felt her cheeks blush deep enough that her abilities were little help in damping the rosy glow.

"Perhaps just a little," Hermione said pulling back and smiling. "Now, let's go and find our wayward male friend and see just what questions he has had answered before we spring some of our own answers onto him."

* * *

They ended up having to wait less than ten minutes in the Common Room before the portrait hole swung open and their friend half walked, half stumbled inside. He cast a quick glance around the otherwise empty room before hurrying towards the couch and collapsed onto it. His head wound up against Dora's shoulder while one hand clutched for hers and his other clasped Hermione's. "You're both here."

"Of course we are, Harry," Dora murmured to him squeezing his hand and reaching over to lightly stroke his hair.

"Not sure if you're going to still be here when I'm done talking," he replied softly.

Dora's snort of amusement escaped before she could even think to try and suppress it. The irony was just too strong. "Yeah, that's kinda my line there, Wonder Boy."

Hermione sighed and shook her head. "Harry, when have I ever run off on you? Do you remember Fourth Year at all? You and me against the population of three schools? If that wasn't enough to send me to the hills I find it difficult to believe anything you say tonight will. And, Dora, if Sirius, Tonks and I are still here I am willing to place several galleons on Harry not running away either. Harry, seeing as you are obviously upset, perhaps you should start and we can finish?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "Can one of you cast a few privacy charms?" The words had barely left his mouth before Dora had finished the brief incantations leading to an amused eyebrow quirk from Hermione and a shrug of indifference from Dora. Harry for his part just sat up straight and started his story. "The prophecy was made to Dumbledore and partially overheard by a Death Eater. Dumbledore wouldn't tell me who." Dora and Hermione both growled low. That explained the second set of initials on the sphere. Considering how rare true prophecies came out for a Death Eater to happen to overhear it…it was enough for Dora to curse Fate for screwing over Harry and his parents. The Death Eater was tossed out for eavesdropping partway through and told Voldemort what he'd overheard. That's why Voldemort keeps coming after me and that's why he lured me the Ministry – so he could hear the second half. He's apparently worried that it has something earth shattering that would make this vendetta a bad idea for him."

"Did Dumbledore tell you the prophecy?" Dora asked as her eyes narrowed. Another fool apparently; one that put a ridiculous amount of stock in a jumble of idiotic phrases.

" _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…_ " Harry paused. "That's where the Death Eater got kicked out. The rest is: _And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…_ " He trailed off at the end and stared into the fire forlornly.

Dora for her part just steamed and felt her hair color itself a deep, _deep_ red. "That's it? _That's_ what Dumbledore has hidden from you for years? What did the old goat say to get you so upset, Harry?"

Harry was momentarily kicked out his funk by Dora's tone and he frowned turning to look at her fully. "I have to kill him, Dora…This is never going to end until one of us kills the other."

"We _already knew that you idiot_!" Dora hissed. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves. It wouldn't due to yell at Harry when Dumbledore was the one infecting him with foreboding. "Hermione help me out here."

Hermione remained silent for several seconds with one hand clutched to her chin. Finally she said, very slowly, "You…may be right, Dora. Harry, I will grant that the prophecy seems far clearer than most tend to be, but Dora has a point in that there is nothing earth shattering in the way of revelations from it."

"But, it's _fate now_ , Hermione," Harry said. His tone had shifted from dejected grief to incredulity. It was progress, Dora supposed.

"Perhaps, perhaps not, but even if it is, it doesn't really change anything, Harry." Hermione shrugged at his incredulous look. "We already know that you're powerful. We know that Voldemort left a mark on you. We _know_ that for four of the past five years you have been forced to fight Voldemort in one way or another. We _know_ that he has a personal grudge against you and would never just let you live your life and walk away from this. We also _know_ that you personally would never just let him continue oppressing people when you thought you could do something to stop him. So, does the prophecy really add anything to any of that beyond giving the reason that he initially chose to come to your house and kill you?"

"He killed my parents because of _me_ though," Harry said softly. He scowled. "If I hadn't been born then maybe – "

"They would have been killed another day in another way," Dora said. She huffed and shook her head. "Don't put blame where it doesn't belong. Did Voldemort get scared and seek you out personally? Sure. But Harry, your parents pissed him off all by themselves multiple times. They were marked before you were ever born. Lily Potter would never have survived that war while Voldemort had any say in the matter. James Potter might have due to his blood status if he ever threw down his wand and stopped fighting, but we all know that wasn't the type of man that James Potter was. The only thing hearing that prophecy did was cement a date for when Voldemort went after them."

"You…might have a point," Harry conceded. He let go of his grip on both of the girls and rubbed one hand on the scar. "Okay so…maybe I don't need to be cursing fate for forcing me into a corner, but…I'm still going to have to be the one to strike him down at the end."

"Again, this isn't exactly that big of a surprise, Harry." Dora sighed and turned to lightly punch his shoulder. "Like Hermione said, you've fought him First Year, Second Year, Fourth Year and now this Year. At this point I'd be more freaked out if some random Auror took him down over the summer than if you and he had some epic final battle in the rain on the front door of Westminster Palace at the end of your Seventh Year."

Harry raised his eyebrows and snorted in laughter at that. "I'd lose pretty badly if that happened, Dora. He has decades of experience over me."

Hermione groaned in exasperation and wiped a hand down her face. "And yet in every fight you have walked away without lasting injury. Harry Potter, you may not have the combat experience of Tom Marvolo Riddle, but you obviously do have several things that he lacks: friends, courage, compassion, an unholy determination to not quit...not to mention more _luck_ than you have any right to possess. Obviously we shouldn't _rely_ on _luck_ , but one cannot deny that you seem to have a preternatural ability to outmaneuver one of the worst Dark Wizards of the age."

"Hey, maybe _luck_ is the 'power he knows not'," Dora replied with a smirk. That earned her a groan from both of her friends.

"As I _said_ ," Hermione huffed crossing her arms. "We can't rely on luck. However if we are able to focus on improving Harry's combat abilities with a few core spells to the point that you can cast them without thinking or effort than Voldemort's experience won't matter. A cutting curse and a bludgeoner can kill just as well as a transfigured flying spike of rock."

"And if I can cast sixty or seventy high powered cutting curses in less than a minute at the same target even a powerful shield would fall…" Harry said softly. A small grin started to inch across his cheeks. "If I can do it silently and without the wand movement too…"

"See _now_ you're thinking like Mad-Eye," Dora said thumping Harry on the back. " _Rule Number 61: It's not always the type of spell you use, but how_ good _you are at the spell that counts_."

Harry turned to her and cocked his head to the side. "You do that a lot you know? Those rules. I thought they were from your mentor in the Coven, now they're Moody's?"

"Err, um," Dora stuttered. Shite, so much for avoiding moving onto that part of the conversation later in the evening. "I can…explain that. It's…"

"Part of your story, yeah." Harry rubbed his scar again. "Hold that thought a moment. Before we get to that point I want you both to know why I actively hate Snape now. Beyond the whole memory thing from earlier in the year I mean. Now I honest to God _hate_ him."

Hermione nodded and reached over to pull Harry into a hug. Though it was brief Dora could almost hear his ribs creak from the force. "He was the Death Eater who heard the prophecy." It wasn't really a question.

"Dumbledore didn't officially confirm it, but yeah, it's not hard to figure out," Harry stated with a scowl. "S.S. initials on the sphere, Dumbledore knowing why Voldemort centered his attentions on the two families it pertained to, Snape switching sides _right_ at the end of the war…Him overhearing and blabbing before having second thoughts is the only thing that makes sense. Though I don't know precisely _why_ he had second thoughts."

"You know, I feel like we should go into detail again on why your parents were marked anyway," Dora muttered, "but I hate the man too and I feel no real need to defend him."

"Agreed," Hermione said with a sigh. "Harry, did you have anything else that Dumbledore revealed to you?"

"Well apparently he had a decent idea of just how horrible the Dursleys were going to treat me if an offhand comment about how I arrived at Hogwarts meant anything." Harry's scowl deepened. "He's also convinced that I need to keep going back there and 'calling it home' each year to recharge blood wards that protect me from Voldemort."

Dora frowned and briefly mentally ran through the handbook she'd read on blood magic during boot camp. "That…makes a small amount of sense…Small. Though without direct family present the effect is pretty minimal. An aunt really isn't enough to boost the natural state of whatever ritual your mum used on you at the beginning, it'd have to be a father, child or sibling to make a real difference."

"And it might all a moot point anyway," Hermione muttered to herself. Her hands balled into fists and she only narrowly managed to thrust them into her lap without striking the side of the couch. "Whatever extra protection _was_ granted could have been rendered pointless after Voldemort used your blood in his resurrection." She snarled and her fists clenched tighter. "If he can _touch_ you, he can get through the _blood wards_. What is Dumbledore _thinking_?!"

Harry snorted. "I asked the same question actually. He basically glossed over it and said that I had to trust him. 'These things are esoteric, Harry, and there are quite a lot of details that come into play. Intent being the primary factor. Your Aunt may not care for you as much as she could, but she does not want to see the child of her sister killed under her roof. This gives the wards power and it is why you must return. Love is power, Harry, never forget that.' His theme song should be the Huey Lewis cover. Feels appropriate."

"I am _sooo_ getting you out of that house the day you get back," Dora muttered. She blew out a frustrated breath and shook her head. "Anything else?"

"Nothing more pressing than you telling me more clearly what you were trying to say earlier this afternoon," Harry stated turning to Dora.

She flinched. He was right. If she had just come right out and said that she was Tonks from the future maybe things would have been different…maybe… _No. Stop thinking like that Dora. It's time to move on. You don't get to be an angsty teen. Even if your magic is making you back into a teen…_ Nodding Dora took another deep breath and stared into the fire. "First, you need to know that I never meant to hurt you, Harry. I…never thought things would get this far. I just wanted to do everything I could to help and support you when this all started."

"And you have," Harry assured her.

"Good. That's…good. I just, you know, wanted you to know that. Before I…before I muck it all up." She fidgeted silently for several moments before continuing on. "I've been lying to you from Day 1, Harry. I'm not from a Coven. I was born in London and I've lived between there and Devon for most of my life. Up until September 1st last year, my name wasn't 'Dora Kirk'. It was…it was, _Nymphadora Tonks_."

Quiet descended around their small bubble and Dora felt like a pin could fall on the carpet and shatter her eardrums. She stayed stock still afraid to do anything that would make him leave, afraid to even breathe just to make this moment last a few seconds longer. He was going to walk away and never speak to her again and he was going to be right to do so. He was –

"Well, that explains why you panicked over Christmas," Harry murmured, a small smile quirking his lips.

Dora's train of thought crashed to a halt and flew off the rails. "What?"

Harry shrugged. "You didn't seriously think I hadn't figured out you were a time traveler by the end of the end the hols did you?"

" _What_!?" This time Dora's shout of uncontained confusion was joined by Hermione's.

"We've been dating months…Dora? Do you still want me to call you Dora?"

"Err – Yes, please…?"

Harry nodded and continued. "We've been dating months. You slip up every now and then. Not much, but enough that a lot of little things eventually added up. Maybe if Hermione hadn't taken me on our little Time Turner trip into the past 'time traveler' wouldn't have been the first thing I jumped to to explain the issues, but she did and it was." Harry shrugged. "Plus I've heard enough from the other guys to know that you should have been _way_ more nervous when I saw you naked. Metamorphmagus or no, you have way too much experience to not be older than you were claiming."

"Hey!" Dora shouted blushing and scowling at him in equal measure. "I'll have you know that I've only slept with two other guys before you! And – oh shite, I am not talking about this while Hermione is right there."

"Oh no, _please_ don't stop on _my_ account," Hermione grumbled. The emotion behind her tone and the bright red coloring her face would take far too much effort to decipher at the moment so Dora simply chose to ignore it.

"Anyway, yeah, I figured you had gone merrily skipping through time a while back. I hadn't settled on Tonks though…" Harry frowned and shook his head. "I was actually betting on her daughter and you were being weird about starting dating because you'd heard stories from her about me…guess that was stupid to assume."

Dora growled and slammed a fist onto the couch's cushion. "Why does _everybody_ think I'm my own _daughter_?!"

"There is so much wrong with that statement," Hermione muttered covering her face with her hand.

"So how old are you, Dora? Is it a large enough gap that I should be weirded out or is it pretty small?" Harry asked. The nonchalance in his voice was at stark odds with the way this entire conversation had begun after he walked into the room.

"I'm only a year older than the actual Tonks you know," Dora muttered uncertainly. "So technically the gap between us is about seven years."

"Not anymore," Hermione chimed in. "You should show him your new default form. Harry, she has the memories of living an extra seven years, but physically she's been Dora's age long enough that her magic has regressed her somewhat and it is continuing to do so. Effectively she's probably about eighteen now both physically and mentally."

Harry turned to Hermione and frowned. "You're speaking a bit above my level there, Hermione. Is she Tonks' age or is she Dora's age?"

"It's…complicated," Hermione said shrugging.

"I am _right here_ people!" Dora snapped. She stood and concentrated on relaxing the morph. A second later and she felt the weird form shift into place around her. Merlin, those proportions were going to take some getting used to.

"Huh," Harry commented. "Well, I guess we know why you were extra clumsy tonight…"

"We do?" Hermione asked.

Dora nodded before shifting back to her teenage self and resuming her seat. "Normally in combat I shift somewhat into a more agile form. Tonight I was freaking out and lost any control shifting partly into my new default. My legs aren't long enough, my tits aren't big enough, my hips are too small; my center of mass was completely off throughout the entire fight. I wasn't Tonks, I wasn't Dora, I wasn't Combat, I was just… _weird_."

Harry nodded, then quirked another smile at her. "Well, you're still beautiful no matter what form you're in, Dora."

"Why are you not freaking out?" Dora asked suppressing her blush and staring at him critically. "I'm a time traveling idiot who let you walk right back into an ambush I knew was coming. I've been lying to you since I met you. I'm seven years older than you instead of just one. And just to make bloody sure it sinks in: _I'm a time traveling idiot_!"

"I'm cursed to fight a Dark Lord that refuses to stay dead," Harry said conversationally waving his hand. "Hermione is smarter than half the teachers in our school. Ron can recite Quidditch facts from a century ago without missing a beat. Luna can see things that none of the rest of us can. I think being a 'time traveling idiot' as you call yourself, is one of the less impressive aspects of our little group." Harry paused and tapped his chin theatrically. "Also I dispute the 'idiot' portion of your statement. I'm pretty sure I'm the idiot among us."

"You-you, you are…you are _freaking impossible, Harry Potter_!" Dora said crossing her arms and falling back into her seat with a huff. After taking several deep breaths she turned to glare at him. "I've been worried you're going to run away or hate me for nothing? You aren't even mad?"

"Oh I'm mad," Harry replied with nod. Despite his words there was not a trace of anger in his tone at all. "I'm mad that you felt the need to hide this for so long, Dora. A few weeks, I get that. Even a few months were understandable. But you should have said something when we started dating. By the time you got my shirt off at minimum."

"Too much information, Harry," Hermione muttered.

"You should have told me, Dora," Harry continued. "And I'm not going to let you off completely Scot-free, but I'm also happy you're finally coming clean. Can you explain what happened to send you back? Was it intentional? Did things go bad enough to require it? Did I become an evil Dark Lord and – wait you said it was just a year – did I get possessed by Voldemort in the Ministry? He tried to do that during the battle, but I threw him out before he could break through my Occlumency. Did I fail the first time around?"

Dora blinked rapidly trying to process through Harry's rapid fire questions. "Err, it was an accident. You cruicioed Bellatrix in the Time room after watching Sirius die. She sent a Chest Crusher curse at you and I knocked you out the way. Got blasted into the grandfather clock by Bellatrix's curse and wound up back at September 1st."

"Oh." Harry fell silent and took to staring at the fire again. After nearly a minute he quietly asked, "So Remus died instead this time?"

"Yeah," Dora responded just as softly. "I'm sorry, Harry. I should have knocked you out and prevented you from ever going."

"I would have hated you if you had," he stated barely audibly. "It's stupid and I know that Sirius wasn't actually in danger. I know now that you already knew he probably wasn't there. But…things have obviously changed so you couldn't really have been _sure_. And…I'm glad you didn't knock me out. I know it all went to hell, but…thank you for letting me make the choice and supporting me despite it being the wrong one."

Hermione sighed. "She explained it a bit more earlier in the night, Harry. It wasn't just Sirius, originally. It was me and Hestia and maybe Ginny, and Ron was hurt and McGonagall was bad off and…it was _bad_. I am sorry we lost Remus, but this could have gone far worse than it did."

"Yeah, I know," Harry said shaking his head. "Who else knows the truth?"

"Sirius and Tonks," Dora said. "Sirius has apparently known for a while too. Looking back on Moody's reactions to me over the hols I'd say he at least suspects something also. I apparently am shite at keeping secrets…"

Harry shrugged. "Could be worse at it. Are we telling the rest of the Order?"

"Honestly I don't know," Dora said sighing. "I'll tell my Mum and Dad over the summer at some point. Probably. The rest? I don't know. It's a bit late now for Dumbledore to try obliviating me – _again_ – since my future knowledge is now useless. I probably should tell them."

"Well…" Hermione said slowly. "You aren't really _Tonks_ anymore. And like you said, your future knowledge is immaterial at this point. At best you would just be informing them that you have more skills and training than originally expected. It's up to you of course, but the argument can be made either way."

Dora laughed and smiled as she looked over fondly at Harry. "We really have corrupted her beyond all hope haven't we?"

"Completely," Harry agreed with a fond nod. The trio shared a quiet laugh before falling back into comfortable silence. "So…where do we all go from here?"

"We continue as we have I guess," Hermione replied with a shrug. "We keep pushing forward as best we can. We fight Voldemort where we can, how we can. We train as much as we are able to ensure that we all survive the war that is coming. We keep walking down the path to the future."

Dora smirked and patted Harry's knee. "Harry's involved. The bushes along the side of this path we're trudging through aren't just simply shrubs, or even thick hedges. They're a briar patch with inch long thorns filled with venom. And they probably try to eat humans that stop near them for too long."

"Ha. Ha. Ha," Harry commented completely deadpan. "Thank you for that vote of confidence, Dora. Thank you very much."

"You are most welcome," she said cheerfully.

The trio again fell silent and stared at the fire for several minutes. Eventually Hermione spoke up. "Does anyone actually want to head up to the dorms? I am perfectly content with staying here for the night myself."

"The charms'll hold til morning," Dora replied. "I can transfigure the couch so we can stretch out a bit more."

"Sure," Harry said nodding, "let's do that." He fell silent as the couch ballooned into the semblance of a bed and the girls rearranged themselves, each taking one of his shoulders. Harry apparently had one more item niggling at him as he closed his eyes. "Oh, final question; since when did snorkacks actually exist and why is there one snuggled up in front of the fireplace?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Much thanks to RhysThornbery for his beta assistance on this.
> 
> \/\/\/\/
> 
> Mad-Eye's Rules For Successfully Reaching Retirement:
> 
> Rule Number 0: In some battles – and most wars – you have to accept sometimes that the best possible outcome is simply not losing."
> 
> Rule Number 61: It's not always the type of spell you use, but how good you are at the spell that counts.
> 
> \/\/\/\/
> 
> Fic Recommendation: "No Competition" by Evilgoddss. This is a crack/humor fic which is hilairous. The basic premise is that Harry's aura essentially makes him a 'must protect this awesome dude!' entity to Dark creatures. The first chapter is Voldemort getting a rundown of just how utterly screwed he is because of this. Technically in progress, but it's mostly just self contained chapters.


	12. End of a Dream, Beginning of an Adventure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: And so we draw this story to a close. Some previous continuity errors have been addressed and edited (the Patronus issue in particular in addition to the relationship fumble), but if anyone notices more please send me a message or a review so that I can see about fixing it. Thank you so much for sticking with me on this! It's been fun to write from a different, limited perspective and the challenges have definitely helped me to improve my craft. I hope everybody enjoyed this part of the 'Hourglass' story as much as I loved writing it!

**Chapter 12: End of a Dream, Beginning of an Adventure**

Dora woke up to warm arms encircling her. Smiling into the chest she was cuddled up to, Dora kept her eyes closed and sighed happily. The previous evening's escapades hadn't ended as well as she had hoped – which was a given considering she'd lost a friend in Remus. But…the others had been right. That entire battle had gone remarkably well all things considered. When Voldemort and Bellatrix personally took to the field, people tended to die in droves. Only one casualty was actually almost entirely unprecedented all things considered.

As she shifted to get a bit more comfortable Dora frowned in confusion. The arm wrapped around her right shoulder was muscled and firm yet the arm around her waist felt quite a bit more delicate. Dora cracked an eyebrow and ended up having to hold in her snort of laughter. Hermione had apparently shifted enough during the night that she was practically lying on top of Harry with one arm wedged under his back and the other clinging tightly to Dora's waist and pulling the metamorph in as close as possible. _I really need to talk to Harry about her. This attraction isn't going to go away…And honestly I don't think I_ want _it to go away…_

Harry shifted and mumbled something that sounded somewhere between "pumpkin juice" and "pancakes" before his stomach rumbled loudly. Dora's muffled laughter bubbled forth fully as Hermione's eyes flew open. The brunette's face momentarily clouded with panic and her arm pulled tighter against Dora's waist before she sighed and all the tension fled leaving her to collapse back into her former position.

"You know I used to find myself facing the wrong end of my bed in the morning sometimes?" Hermione murmured. "I suppose there are worse positions I could have woken up in."

"Yeah," Dora replied lifting her head and leering at Hermione. "Imagine if you wound up with your head down there _now_." The bright scarlet flush on Hermione's face was far too easy to bring out though the slight twitch of her lips was a bit unexpected.

"Yes, had that happened, you just might have had some competition in the romance department."

"Hermione Granger, you are not nearly as innocent as you would have us believe," Dora teased.

A small cough and grunt from just above them had both girls turning to look at Harry as his eyes opened and a small half grin, half grimace spread on his face. "Um, morning, Hermione, Dora. Could you both stop with the innuendo please? Those images they leave me with…It's um…it _is_ morning after all and err…it's not helping."

Dora blinked in confusion. She shifted to sit up and her leg ran down the length of her boyfriend's frame as she moved sliding briefly over his groin. Suddenly understanding exactly what Harry was attempting to _not_ complain about, Dora burst out laughing and fell back down to curl up against her two friends. "Poor, Harry. Boy problems eh, Hermione?"

"I have no idea what you…" Hermione started before she shifted slightly and her face lit up even redder than previously. "Ah. Yes, well, that is one thing that girls do have a bit easier I suppose."

"Yeah sure, rub it in," Harry grumbled.

"Well, we _could_ if you really want us too…" Dora teased. The other two went beyond the impossible and flushed redder than the Weasleys' hair leaving Dora cackled in triumph. "You guys are both too easy. Come on, we should all… _get up_."

Hermione groaned and carefully started to extract herself from her lounging. "Please, stop. Now it's just forced. The joking is _hard_ to endure this early in the morning." Her small smirk and raised eyebrows evidenced the intentional double-speak and Dora grinned back, saluting the other girl.

"You two are evil. Pure evil," Harry griped as he wiped a hand through his hair and stretched. The girls admired his physique for a moment before Dora sat up fully and started to reverse her previous enchantments on the couch. Hermione just sighed happily again and slowly stood up. "Excuse me, girls. I'm going to go wash up. Meet you down here in fifteen minutes so we can head to breakfast?"

"Sounds good, Harry," Hermione replied. She reached down and helped pull him to his feet.

The boy had just started to walk over towards the stairs to his dorm when the snorkack ran over from its position in front of the fireplace and scrambled up his side, settling quickly on his shoulder. "Hey, little guy. You want to come see my dorm? Just don't go wandering off yeah?"

Dora chuckled again at Harry's disappearing back and walked up to her own room next to Hermione. "Luna is going to freak out when show her that critter."

"Yes, yes she will," Hermione replied. She fell into silence and both girls stayed quiet until they were in the bathroom brushing their hair. Finally Hermione, grimaced while staring at her reflection. "Dora, we _can_ do this right? We can help Harry bring this fight to an end? We can get through everything and still remain…whole?"

"War is bad, Hermione. There's no sugarcoating that," Dora replied sighing. She switched her hair from red to a dark, dark blue. Remus would have liked it and it seemed fitting. "The three of us just need to stick together. Us and our friends and the Order…we'll get through it. One way or the other."

"Oh will you two just up and snog already!" Lavender's annoyed voice cut through the atmosphere as she walked in from the shower stalls with just a towel wrapped around her hair. Dora rolled her eyes; Lavender was not one for modesty. The other Gryffindor setup her makeup bag on the third sink and glared at them. "Honestly! You dance around each other for ages, the boy you both like likes you both, you all sleep in the common room together last night, and now you're here having a heart-to-heart…How am I supposed to actively gossip about this without spreading malicious rumors unless you start snogging so it's no longer _rumor_ and actually _true_!?"

Dora's hair flipped through a few colors and she had to wrestle it back under control while Hermione just gaped at Lavender. Dora hadn't missed the thoughtful glance flicked in her direction from the brunette witch first though. Shaking her head to clear it, Dora shrugged and grabbed her bag. "Hey, until we make anything official you might as well talk about Daphne and Tracey. Did you miss they stayed behind in the Room after the final DA practice over the weekend?"

"No! They didn't!"

"Yup," Dora said popping the word. She smirked at Lavender. "Tracey's shirt was already on the floor before I could close the door."

"How did Parv and I miss that?!" Lavender groaned. Dora just laughed and waved to the girl before heading off.

Hermione caught up as they reached their beds and glared at Dora. "It's not nice to spread rumors."

"It's not a rumor. It's true," Dora said still grinning. She discarded one shirt and pulled out another, one that would hopefully go better with her hair today. "Besides, Parvati saw them yesterday after the Care of Magical Creatures exam so it's not exactly a secret. If they wanted to keep things quiet they should have found someplace more private than behind the greenhouses."

"Ah…" Hermione fell silent before sighing and slipping on her robes. "Poor Ron, he seemed interested in Tracey."

"Yeah, well, _Luna's_ interested in _him_ , so wish him luck because when she makes her move he isn't going to know what hit him."

Hermione laughed. "That is not a relationship I see lasting long at all."

"Well, you can talk to her about it yourself once we get downstairs. Come on! I'm hungry!"

* * *

The trio had only just stepped off the staircase into the Entrance Hall when Luna bounced up to them from the nearby corridor. "Good morning, Harry, Hermione, Dora. Ronald is sleeping in then after the exams? Poo. Oh well, you three seem quite improved over recent – " Luna drifted off mid-sentence and ground to a complete halt. She blinked several times with her mouth working silently. The snorkack sitting on Harry's shoulder bobbed its head up and down at her and panted happily. Luna finally managed to utter a quiet word as she raised a hand and pointed. "Snorkack."

"Yup. Caught a hitchhiker last night. Long story," Dora said wiggling her eyebrows at her blonde friend. "Sirius has kinda claimed him already, but we figured you'd like to see him and all."

" _ **SNORKACK! IT'S A CRUMPLE-HORNED SNORKACK!**_ " Luna's squeal of glee nearly shattered Dora's eardrums and everyone nearby winced and stumbled a step. Luna herself sprang forward and lifted the critter from Harry's shoulder with both hands then pranced around in a circle while several students wandered past shooting strange looks at the small group. "Oh Merlin you are simply beautiful! And your fur is so soft! And look at those little teeth, just perfect for eating vegetation! Oh and you're an adolescent judging from those horns! How are you little man, how are – wait you are a _boy_ right? Yup, wow, you're definitely a boy! Oh you are simply the cutest, most adorable, most wonderful little man!" The snorkack bobbed its head again, almost as though to agree with her praise, and leaned forward to lick Luna's hand as she squealed again.

Hermione rolled her eyes fondly and crossed her arms. "Luna, you should really stop turning in a circle before you make him sick." Luna just smiled and stopped spinning, choosing instead to cuddle the snorkack to her chest which caused the little creature to huff appreciatively and lick her hand again. "See, he looks happier already."

"Wherever did you find him?!" Luna asked gently swinging the snorkack from side to side as she swayed.

"He sprung a prison break while Harry, Hermione and I were running from Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries," Dora said gesturing for the others to follow her into the Great Hall.

Luna nodded. "I thought that you might not have fully averted that seeing as you all disappeared after exams. I was considering stealing a thestral to follow along, but I couldn't be certain it was the correct night. There was always the possibility that you had seduced Hermione into a threesome after all."

" _Luna_ knew about the DoM battle?" Hermione grumbled. "Wait… _what_?"

Luna nodded, ignoring Hermione's shocked exclamation. "To be fair, Hermione, Dora has only actually _told_ me two things. Everything else I've worked out for myself. For instance, how you and Harry are now fully informed as to our friend's origins."

"How do you _do_ that?" Dora asked glaring at the blonde. "Nothing we've said in the past five minutes should've given you the impression that I told them everything!"

The trio sat down and Luna smiled. "Well, beyond the disappearance from last night, there is the fact that you no longer seem to have the weight of the world holding your shoulders to the ground." Luna paused and shrugged. "The complete lack of wrackspurts around you is also a key giveaway. To more fully answer your question about how I 'do that' – I see how things work."

Hermione growled and stabbed her pancakes with her fork. "Luna Lovegood, I swear to magic itself if you don't explain that statement I am going to hound you until the day I die until I figure it out myself."

Harry chuckled and patted Hermione's arm in an effort to ease the girl's frustration. "Perhaps try telling us in a normal fashion, Luna?"

"But I am," Luna commented shrugging. "I see how things work. Magic, connections, physics, relationships, interactions, shatterpoints…I see the underlying levels of reality. It is quite fascinating really."

Three sets of eyes blinked at Luna for several long quiet seconds. It was only broken by the snorkack leaning down and slurping up one of Luna's carrots. Hermione eventually frowned and shook her head. "That's not possible. That doesn't make any sense. One can't _see_ concepts."

"Mother was working on an altered Mage Sight spell. It worked quite well, but she didn't seem to realize that the original casting was area of effect instead of targeted – or that I was in the room at the time. I was busy exploring my new senses near a pair of blibbering humdingers while was drawn to particular cluster of creatures near the edge of her workstation. I don't know exactly what the Exploding Blimpets represent or why they gather in certain areas, but they are quite volatile." Luna sighed and clutched the snorkack to her chest tighter. "Mother taught me that. I have since been very careful not to touch the Exploding Blimpets when I have seen them. I still have the sight because Mother never wrote down the counterspell to turn it off. I have grown used to it and I greatly enjoy determining the names for the conceptualizations that I see."

Hermione and Dora both turned their gazes to the table and blinked away the water gathering in their eyes. That had…not been remotely what Dora had thought when she originally asked Luna where her information was coming from.

As Hermione blindly pushed one of her pancakes to the other side of the plate Harry reached out and briefly clasped Luna's shoulder, smiling wearily at her. "Your mother left you with a gift, Luna; just like mine did with me. We not be able to be with them anymore, but at least we have something to remember them by all the same."

"I fully agree, Harry. That is why their names are so unusual! When next I see Mother I intend to send her to the clouds laughing uproariously. If she wanted concepts to have more appropriate names then she should have been around to do the naming herself," Luna finished with a bright smile and a wink.

"Sending her laughing…to the _clouds_?" Dora asked.

Hermione groaned and rubbed her forehead. "Because she's in Heaven so she can't roll around on the _ground_ laughing. She has to roll around on the _clouds_. I am doomed to be surrounded by puns today it seems."

Harry snorted and rolled his eyes. "Don't forget, Hermione, you made some yourself this morning."

"Yes, a rather _hard_ one at that," Dora stated earning a glare from the brunette.

Luna grinned and looked between all three of her friends. "Oh? Did Hermione decide to join you two in celebratory sex after the battle after all? I know that you and Harry chose the night after Umbridge but – "

"Luna, _please_ stop!" Harry groaned banging his head onto the desk. "I already have enough of the girls in the castle coming after me. The last thing I need is details of my love life paraded around the school. And for the record, _no_ , nothing happened last night. We all just collapsed after a very long, very stressful night!"

"Oh, poo," Luna said shaking her head. "Apparently I will have to go back to the drawing board."

Hermione shifted her death glare from Luna to Dora. "Luna…I believe you and I need to have a long talk about appropriate discussion topics."

" _Manipulation_ topics, Hermione. _Manipulation_ topics. One must be precise when conversing on matters of the heart," Luna said grinning innocently. She turned back to her plate and fed the snorkack another stick of carrot. Everyone around her was left impotently glaring before dissolving into fits of chuckling.

Ron chose just that moment to come running into the Great Hall. He barely paused to look where he was going before he jumped into the open seat next to Dora and started to madly grab for the biscuits nearby. "Thank, Merlin! Breakfast is still going; I didn't miss it! Wait…why are you all laughing?"

Dora patted her fellow Gryffindor on the back and shook her head with a grin still on her face. "Ron, we really have to catch you up on recent events after breakfast."

* * *

"Miss Kirk, a word if you'd please," Dumbledore's strained voice caught Dora's attention as she was about to walk back up to the Common Room several days later. She stopped and turned cocking an eyebrow at the Headmaster.

"We still have our ceasefire in effect right, Sir?" At Dumbledore's nod Dora shrugged. "In that case, sure."

Dumbledore smiled softly at her and started to walk down the hall with Dora following. In no time at all, both were sitting at his desk in his office. Dora couldn't help but notice that several of the Headmaster's trinkets were damaged or destroyed. Apparently Harry had not taken _quite_ as calmly to Dumbledore's revelations as he'd implied.

"Lemon drop? No? No one ever wants a lemon drop, I simply don't understand it…they are so good, it's practically addicting…Alas, my thoughts wander. Where was I? Miss Kirk, I believe I owe you an apology. Several in fact," Dumbledore started off with a heavy sigh. He dropped his gaze to the desk and shook his head while Dora reared back in confusion. "I have witnessed too many wars, magical and mundane, in my time and spent far too long preparing for the current one – with only myself as counsel. Perhaps this old man has been too set in his ways for too long. You were – and in many ways still are – an unknown and expected piece on the board. In prior cases I waited far too long to react to unexpected movements and it had led to disaster."

Dora fidgeted. "I heard rumors that you and Grindelwald knew each other before the World War, Sir. I take it you didn't act because you thought he'd turn out alright in the end?"

"No. No, I didn't act because I did not want to confront the man I loved and in turn cast aside his beliefs. Beliefs that – for a time – I shared," Dumbledore stated simply. Dora could only gape at him in reply with her hair flashing to brown in shock. "I cared somewhat for young Tom Riddle as well. I did not trust him and worried he was walking a dangerous path, but I acknowledged that he could be a great wizard under the right circumstances who could lead our society to extraordinary feats. Unfortunately I was still consumed with the previous war and was unwilling to assist with his situation in the Muggle world. My lack of action again led to the rise of another Dark Lord."

"Look, Headmaster, Voldemort was a bad egg to begin with. He was evil long before you ever arrived. The guy killed a classmate at 16. I don't think offers of lemon drops and tea would've done much."

Dumbledore shook his head. "Nevertheless, I share some responsibility for Voldemort's inception. In Harry's case I tried to keep him safe. I tried to keep him away from the influences of fame and arrogance in an effort to imbue him with values and decency before corruption could take hold. I never once thought of the damage that his guardians could do in their hatred of his parents."

"You can protest you've done everything for Harry's own good until you're blue in the face, Dumbledore, but actions speak louder than words. And you never once even went to check on him," Dora stated. Her features hardened and her mouth set into a thin line. Memories that were not her own flashed through her head and it was all she could do to avoid cursing out the man in front of her for tossing her boyfriend to the wolves.

He nodded sadly. "You are once again correct. Again, my lack of action has brought nothing, but pain. That is why I have asked you here, Miss Kirk." Dumbledore paused as Fawkes flew over and landed on his shoulder trilling softly. A small half grin lit up his face as he petted the bird before he turned back to her. "You have done more in less than a year to assist Harry with facing his destiny. Between yourself, Miss Granger, Miss Lovegood, Mr. Weasley and his other friends his burdens have lessened greatly. One would have to be blind not to see that. I apologize for my previous efforts against you and acknowledge that you are on Harry Potter's side in this war if nothing else. I also request that you carry a message to him from me."

"Why not do it yourself?" Dora asked frowning.

"Harry is…still quite put out with me I fear," Dumbledore said with a grimace. "Rightfully so, I freely admit. Had I explained things more fully this year perhaps Remus Lupin would still be with us…?" Dora felt a pang of guilt lance her chest at that. Dumbledore wasn't the only one to shoulder that burden. "As it stands he has requested that I leave him be for the remainder of the semester and I will honor that request. You two are close and I still owed you an apology as well. This is, 'killing two birds with one stone,' as the saying goes; though I prefer 'eating two sweets on one piece of candy'." He laughed softly and Dora had to suppress her groan.

"Okay, what do you want me to tell him?"

"Please relay that I am stepping down as the commander of the Order. Alastor, Shacklebolt or Minerva will be replacing me; it has not yet been decided. I will instead focus my efforts on something that I should have taken care of long ago." Dumbledore paused and sighed heavily. "I am aware there is little likelihood that Harry will be staying with his relatives long enough to recharge the protections he – and they – gain from his presence. Sirius is correct; it is not my place to force the issue any longer. Instead, I will simply ask that you assist in making certain he uses his time at Grimmauld Place wisely. I will tell Sirius this myself, but I feel you and Miss Granger should know as well. Begin looking into Dark Rituals through the Black library over the summer while residing at the manor. Specifically Horcruxes. I will explain further when all parties are present. The time for secrets is swiftly coming to a close. It brings only pain."

Dora recognized a dismissal when she heard one. Frowning she stood and started to head out of the office with a nod to the Headmaster. Her hand was on the door before she stopped and turned for one final question. "Sir, why tell me all this? Why me?"

"Because, Miss Kirk," Dumbledore replied with a small twinkle returning to his eye, "I may not know your full story, but I feel we can both acknowledge that you are no more from a Coven than I am. As I stated before, you fight for Harry Potter and his friends. That is…enough for me. It is time I start to trust the next generation with deciding their own futures. You have proven capable and loyal. Thank you."

Dora smiled back at him. She'd probably always have some issues with the old man, but…it was nice to see that the person she idolized for so long was still there inside him all the same.

* * *

The Hogwarts Express chugged along on its merry route back through the countryside, short jolts and jittering, rocked the passengers along as the train neared London. Dora curled up on the seat of their cabin, her head cradled in Harry's lap and her legs draped over Hermione's. Luna was sitting across from them, her back against the window with her own legs across the lap of a thoroughly confused looking Ron. All of the teens were more relaxed than anyone would have guessed with the way that the year had begun.

"Hermione, are you really sure that your parents are going to be okay with you coming to Grimmauld for most of the summer?" Harry asked. "You barely get to see them as it is."

Hermione shrugged. "Oh, they'll be coming with me actually so they are very accepting of it. Honestly I believe they're looking forward to it more than _I_ am! Mum and Dad are ever so excited to regularly see magic being used around them! Sirius has already spoken with them about setting up a spare bedroom on the second floor. I believe Moody has offered to enchant a portkey for them that will take them back and forth from their practice each day."

Ron snorted and rolled his eyes. "Trust that crazy old codger to cough up something highly illegal without batting an eye."

"Ron, we do highly illegal things every year," Harry replied lifting an eyebrow.

Ron just shrugged. "I'm not complaining, Harry. Heck this is just like the Lightning Reversal. Though granted they did end up making that a foul afterwards so…maybe that's not the best example."

"It works well enough, Ronald," Luna commented from behind her upside-down Quibbler.

"Err, thanks…? Luna, why is your magazine upside down?"

"Because I can read it better this way," the blonde replied easily. Dora was positioned well enough that she could see the grin on Luna's face.

"Oh." Ron peered at the magazine critically before shrugging again. "I thought it was because the rune puzzle needed to be turned a few times, but okay."

"Well…that too." Luna's grin spread wider and she not-so-subtly pulled her legs up, dragging Ron closer to her. Dora snorted in amusement at her friend and quietly resolved yet again to never piss off the sneaky blonde.

"Harry," Dora said twisting slightly to gaze up at the young man above her. "Are you really sure you want to go back to them for the day? We could just…blow them off completely."

Harry shrugged and smiled, ignoring the dark expressions that flitted briefly over Dora and Hermione's features. "True we could and that would be fun too, but…well I like the initial plan a bit better. Angry magic using women confronting my relatives is going to be _far_ more satisfying than just leaving them waiting forever on a train platform."

Hermione's smile at that was predatory enough that any self-respecting Black would congratulate the girl whole-heartedly. "Yes, this should be well-worth the hour or so of waiting. Having an Auror on our side is quite useful indeed for bypassing silly little things like the Trace not breaking for another three months."

"Oi! Some of us have to wait until next year before we're 17, Hermione," Ron said shooting the brunette a mock glare. "There's no need to rub it in that you and Dora are _old_."

"Careful, Ronald," Luna replied in a lilting voice, her laughter barely hidden under the dreamy tone. "You don't want _me_ calling _you_ old."

"Yes, Luna. Sorry, Hermione, Dora, bad joke…" Ron replied with a sigh. "Bloody crazy birds," he continued in a mutter, earning a chuckle from all others present in the cabin.

The whistle sounded and Dora craned her neck to see the platform approaching just beyond the front engine. "Darn, time to get up I suppose." She slowly pulled herself up and sighed as she leant against Harry's side. She wasn't able to relax there long though as the whistle sounded again and the Express pulled to a stop at the station. All of the teens stood up and started to lever their trunks down into the compartment.

"I will see you all shortly I hope," Luna commented slinging her bag behind her and smiling at the rest of the group. "Once I speak with Daddy he should be fine with me doing a bit of extra studying over the summer. I certainly don't want to miss all of the action this year! Have a pleasant few weeks! Let me know if anything interested occurs before I arrive!" With a jolly wave, Luna disappeared into the mass of students.

Ron rolled his eyes and grabbed his own trunk. "I'll see you three in a few days. Mum, wants to take Ginny for some clothes. Once we get the shopping done we should be back over to Headquarters. I think. Sirius _is_ letting Mum stay in the house again right? Eh, it's not like Dad will keep me away even if Mum is banned." He waved as well and vanished while still mumbling to himself.

Dora rolled her eyes and grabbed Hermione's hand as she made to walk out of the cabin. A quick exchange of glances saw Hermione nodding and staying put. Dora took a deep breath and smiled at both of her friends. "Thank you, both of you. I…when this year started I expected to end it being dead, vanished into nonexistence or completely alone and abandoned. Between you two, Sirius, Tonks, Luna, Moody, heck even _Dumbledore_ , I…never thought I'd have people sticking by me after the truth was out. So thanks. I just…wanted that put out there. You guys are the best I could ever ask for."

Hermione responded in typical Hermione fashion: with a bone-crushing hug. "You're one of us now, Dora. Don't ever forget that."

As Hermione released her, Harry quickly took her place though his hug was from behind with his arms snaking around her middle and his lips resting near her ear. "I'm not letting you go, Dora. None of us are," he whispered, his breath sending shivers down her spine and her arms wrapping around his own. "You're a little weird, a bit reckless and a lot crazy. You fit in perfect. We're not letting you disappear, Dora Kirk. You're _ours_."

"Yeah. I am. And you're _mine_." Dora twisted enough to capture Harry's lips in her own. The kiss was brief, but the passion was bright and the continued shivers running down her spine were strong enough to rock her onto her heels. As soon as they broke apart Dora winked at Hermione who responded with a sly grin of her own. "We fight together, we live together. Voldemort and his goons don't stand a chance."

"None at all," Hermione replied. Harry let Dora go and he and Hermione grabbed their trunks to walk out into the throng with Dora only a few seconds behind them.

As she watched her friends' backs, Dora could only grin wider and reflect back on the past year of her extremely unusual life. "This is good. It's not perfect, but it's good. _Rule Number 42: Sometimes, things actually do mostly work out right._ Thanks for the lessons, Mad-Eye. I owe you."

* * *

**Mad-Eye's Rules For Successfully Reaching Retirement:**

_Rule Number 0: In some battles – and most wars – you have to accept sometimes that the best possible outcome is simply not losing._

_Rule Number 1: Always make certain that personnel involved in an active investigation and/or protection detail have all relevant details. Lack of detail leads to injury and death._

_Rule Number 2: A victim is always more likely to comply with Auror recommendations if they are aware of the scale of danger inherent in their situation._

_Rule Number 3: It's always better to be safe than sorry. Never forget Rule 3 because it'll kill you._

_Rule Number 4: Common Sense. Muggles have it. So should we. We don't. Strive to get some._

_Rule Number 5: The best actor is the one who never stops. A man alone at home who uses a wheelchair even while he can secretly walk is FAR more deadly than a man lying about having a second wand._

_Rule Number 6: Maintain focus or die._

_Rule Number 8: Never leave loose ends loose. Tie off anything that compromises an identity or be prepared to fight to the death._

_Rule Number 10: Always stay calm. Even with Killing Curses flying, staying calm will probably save your life._

_Rule Number 11: Know what to do when it all goes to shite._

_Rule Number 13: When lying always include enough truth with fact that, should they investigate, you appear legitimate._

_Rule Number 14: When breaking the law, don't get caught and have a scapegoat ready._

_Rule Number 17: Always assume someone's listening. Always._

_Rule Number 20: A confident Auror intimidates worried criminals._

_Rule Number 21: If someone is acting shifty nine times out of ten it's because they have something to hide._

_Rule Number 25: If you can't get it right, fake it til you make it._

_Rule Number 32: Go into shock when you can afford to. Get all teary and grief-stricken on the battlefield and at best your aim is off due to the blurry eyes. At worst someone else you care about dies because you missed something important while you were collapsed._

_Rule Number 40: Never discount a potential ally. If you don't act like a villain turncoats will be more loyal than your own men._

_Rule Number 42: Sometimes, things actually do mostly work out right._

_Rule Number 44: Never leave someone to wallow alone in grief. It almost never ends well. Worst comes to worst, send them to a Muggle therapist. Folks work wonders._

_Rule Number 50: Ignore everyone, but your own inner voice. If he can live with your actions so can you. Damn the rest._

_Rule Number 80: If your enemy is trying to kill you, the smart thing is to abandon your bloody mission and try to kill them right back._

_Rule Number 95: When following someone it doesn't matter if you're obvious. It only matters if you're close enough for them to care that you're going in the same direction._

_Rule Number 122: You can look a gift horse in the mouth, but be prepared to be flattened by the fist flying out of its gullet._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Much thanks to RhysThornbery for his beta assistance on this.
> 
> I hope that the Dumbledore segment came off well. I wanted him to be flawed but redeemable in this fic instead of my more natural inclination concerning his character. Same with Ron. I think I did end up flanderizing Ron a tad anyway, but Quidditch obsession is better than ignorant jerk right…right? The Luna explanation is a bit off the wall, but she was never going to be a Seer in this fic and I feel this adds a bit to her odd nature without coming across as anything that can become a Deus ex Machina. It was actually planned since the inception so it's not something I just cast a net for and there are some hints previously.
> 
> There will be a sequel to 'Hourglass' though I can't promise a timetable. I need to work out more details of what I want to accomplish in Year 6 before committing pen to paper – or chapter to site as it may be. Fair warning to those waiting with baited breath on said sequel, it will end up being Harry/Dora/Hermione. I tried to end this one on a (mostly) monogamous relationship, but it's too hard fighting to keep Hermione out of it permanently so in the sequel that's at least one plot point that will occur for certain.
> 
> My next project is going to be finishing up 'Potters Against the World' so keep a lookout for that story to pick back up soon. Thanks for all the support throughout!
> 
> \/\/\/\/
> 
> Fic Recommendation: "Harry Potter and the Horcrux Hunt" by F.D. Wurth (remove the space between the 'D.' and 'Wurth'; considering this is an author on THIS website you would think it would let me put it in intact but nope can't have logic come into play when dealing with Harry Potter stuff!). This is a Harry/Fleur/Tonks story set at the beginning of Seventh Year and mostly canon up to shortly prior to the wedding. At that point Bill and Remus run off (with each other!) and leave a pissed off Fleur and Tonks to be comforted by Harry. Harry does what Harry does best and after a drunken night of partying and comfort, all three are married. Both end up joining in on the Horcrux hunt leading to far better success. Overall, a fun story with a bit of lemon, a bit of hilarity, more plot than expected at the get-go and decent writing. Updates are infrequent, but occurring.
> 
> Final Rec: "Honoured Ancestor" by Shahismael. This is a Harry/Hermione story set after the war. Harry was worried about going crazy and evil just like all other parselmouths he's heard of. So he and Hermione find Herpo the Foul's tomb. The answers are…intriguing. A very good oneshot!


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